Past Resurrection
by saphirablossom
Summary: To save their world from imminent downfall, Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol recreate an alternate time, where they must restart their Clow Card days anew. Except this time, the cards aren't docile spirits, and each capture is now a fight for survival...
1. Prologue

**Past Resurrection**

**by saphirablossom**

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS...**

**I have yet another fic that I've been dying to post, since I've had the idea since a long time. Here is the prologue, I hope you like it!**

**Prologue:**

_In a world where evil made rampage, and hope was lost for the survival of man kind, the last sorcerers fought for light's dominion. For the past few months, they have raged bloody battles across the world, hoping to somehow cause the evil's downfall. Yet slowly, the defenders of the light began to bow down to the evil's strength, and on this day, most of the sorcerers have fallen, victims in evil's dealing hands. Only a few of those who battle with their magic of the light remain. Amongst them, three sorcerers and a mundane girl continue to defend their race's legacy, even though all hopes of victory are lost. In the ruins of a once life-filled city, the used-to-be Tomoeda, Japan, these four individuals rise alone to fight for one last time..._

Tomoyo Daidoji sprinted through the empty streets of Tomeda, running from the monsters that had claimed the fate of so many of her loved ones; her friends, Chiharu Mihara, Naoko Yanagizawa, Rika Sasaki, Takashi Yamazaki, gone. Her beloved mother, Sonomi Daidoji, ruthlessly murdered. They had been dead for almost a year now, yet the grief was still present whenever she thought of them, the dearly departed. Her amethyst eyes burned with a dangerous fire as she ran further into the deserted city.

'At least I'm not alone. They are my family now...' she thought.

In another area of Tomoeda, another young woman was sneaking along the remaining walls of buildings who had withstood the evil's constant destruction. Sakura Kinomoto knew she was being stalked by the demons who did the evil's biding. For the first time in her life, Sakura could say that she hated someone, despised them beyond all other things. These demons had not only claimed the lives of her friends, but also that of her father and brother, Fujitaka and Toya Kinomoto. Even the guardians of her magic had succumbed, protecting her from imminent death.

Suddenly, the air changed around her, and the demons tracking her smelt her distinguished cherry blossom scent. Sakura heard their growl rumble through the darkness, and fear struck her, stabbing her with it's sharp dagger. She broke into a dead sprint, hearing the sounds of the creatures of the night, rapidly gaining on her. Her terror shone in her eyes as she forced her already exhausted body to continue.

'I won't die, though sometimes I wish I was already dead. At least they're still here...' she thought.

Not far from there, two young men heaved in great effort, deep red blood drenching their clothes, some of it theirs, some of it belonging to the entities who had claimed the fate of mankind. One of them dodged an attack with stunning agility, midnight blue eyes speaking hatred and anger towards the beasts before them. The other swung his sword with the skill of masters, his amber eyes glaring a death promise.

One of the beasts jumped behind them, and slashed the young man closest to him, whose midnight blue eyes became suddenly hazed with pain. Eriol Hiiragizawa collapsed in a bloody heap, struggling to rise again. The beast, knowing his opponent utterly helpless, seized the opportunity. Its dagger-like claws descending, ready to give the final blow, were stopped by a majestic blade, shielding Eriol from certain death. Syaoran Li's breath heaved within his chest, the effort of keeping the beast's monstrous weapons at bay becoming more and more difficult to withstand. With a final supreme effort, he pushed on his blade with all the strength left in him, and the beast was sent back a few inches.

This gave Syaoran the necessary amount of time to help Eriol to his feet and summon his wind magic to keep him afloat.

"Wind, come forth!" he bellowed.

Eriol's limp form hovered in midair, and Syaoran began to run, knowing that in seconds, the beast would be after him.

'Damned Eriol, why did he have to drag me here? I pray to any god that still cares, please let the girls be all right. Especially my Sakura...' he thought.

At the same moment, four figures appeared, coming from three separate directions, running at a full sprint, demoniac creatures of the night close behind them. They ran towards each other and stopped, surrounded by a hoard of bloodthirsty monsters. Sakura, panting and heaving, threw a card into the air above, which was rapidly followed by a richly decorated seal, bearing ancient symbols. With her raised hand, she cried,

"I summon thee for one last time, protect us from these entities, SHIELD!"

Instantly, a pale pink bubble surrounded them, indeed protecting them from harm's way. Sakura, though facing the fact that she and her friends were doomed to die when her magic became insufficient to feed the magical card, smiled internally, ironically proud that she could summon her magic without her staff.

She turned to the three people with whom she was going to spend her final moments;

Tomoyo, her best friend since 3rd grade. Today, she should have been in 9th, but fate had decided against it. Tomoyo had always been there for her, through thick and thin. Never had she backed down to help her, like now. She could have chosen the easier way out: death. But she didn't, because Tomoyo was Tomoyo, and she never gave up on her friends.

Eriol, she had known for the least amount of time, but long enough to know he was an honorable man. He had accepted when they'd asked if he would fight. He too could have let himself die, but Eriol would have never done such a thing, for he was a man of honor, and preferred to face death with his friends for one last time.

Syaoran, she could write novels about, telling the world how wonderful he was, but there no longer was a world to talk to. Even if at first, he'd hated her to the core, he'd grown to love her more than anything, just as she had with him. He swore to protect her with his life, and Sakura suspected that he would most likely die trying to protect her. No words could express how deeply she felt for him, and she knew that Syaoran would rather die a million deaths than hurt her or his friends.

The same thoughts ran through the other's heads, and each prayed silently for the others, waiting for death to come.

Eriol's weak voice broke through the disturbing silence of the shield.

"As a sorcerer, a man of the light, I refuse to let our race and world fall into the hands of total chaos."

The others looked at him understandingly, though took the remark as a simple fictional idea that one can only dream of. Seeing this, Eriol's eyes, dimmed by the pain and bleeding, shot the most determined glance he could muster.

"I'm serious." he stated weakly.

All three heads turned to face him. The others would gladly fight to save what was left of the world, but against such a great hoard of demons and beasts, craving the four's blood on their hands, they stood no chance. Surely they would destroy a great number of the monstrous beings, but they were too greatly outnumbered.

Eriol knew that they weren't the sort of people to give in, yet they only saw the logical side of things. He gathered all of his remaining strength, and spoke,

"There is only one way to reverse the damage that has already been done. I have never spoken of it, for according to Clow Reed's memories, it was to be used only as a last resort, when all other hope is lost."

The others watched him intently, praying that Eriol's solution would be their salvation.

"The task consists of going back in time to relive everything, starting from the day when the Clow Cards were released from the book." he continued.

Syaoran stared at him, his amber eyes piercing right through his soul.

"Last resort? That sounds simple enough. Some reincarnation you are, Eriol." Syaoran replied, with a somewhat bitter tone.

Sakura elbowed him gently, her eyes expressing a look that stated clearly that is wasn't the moment to commence a useless argument. Eriol continued,

"It seems simple, but there are some downsides. When we return, we would still be 15, and we four would be the sole individuals who would remember what had happened during and after the capture of the cards. We would have to respect past events, which means that we couldn't meet until we were supposed to."

Tomoyo, pained by the pitiful sight Eriol had become, replied,

"It seems to be a difficult task to undertake for us, but it doesn't seems to have any drastic consequences."

Eriol let out a painful sigh struggled to continue,

"No, doing so could change the course of time in other dimensions, and if we're not careful, it could commit much greater damage to our world. For if we do return, then the Clow Cards will no longer be docile. They will be possessed by the great evil of this time, and they will only have one objective: killing you. They'll want to slaughter you in the bloodiest of manners, as the demons before us crave to do."

They all looked at each other in silence, questioning the use of such a solution. It was indeed the last possible resort to take. Yet while the consequences of doing so seemed far too risky, when they looked upon the chaos that reigned outside the shield, they realized that if they remained here, all would be lost, and it would serve to nothing.

"I'll do it." said Sakura.

They others looked at her and smirked.

"And I'll join her." said Syaoran.

"So will I." said Tomoyo

"Agreed." Eriol let out, weakly.

Eriol then undertook with the last of strength, to show them how the spell was performed, and what they had to do to seal it's making. The spell required all of their magic, draining them severely. Then, they would have to be killed against their will, while fighting against the beasts. They wouldn't be sent back if they purposefully threw themselves before a beast. The only way it would work was if they did so to protect someone.

When all was agreed, the three magicians worked on the spell, including Tomoyo's mundane aura within the spell. Slowly, the sorcerer's magic was drained, and a large majority of their strength with it.

The first flow of magic that ceased was Eriol's. He'd been standing, leaning against a broken pole, fighting the pain of his wounds, when suddenly, his eyes dulled to hollow emptiness, and he collapsed, letting out his last breath. Tomoyo, who was watching on the borderline, felt the hot tears burn down her face, though she made no move to stop them. She held her pain within herself, wanting to watch her friends until the last possible minute.

The second flow to cease was Syaoran's. Without warning, the magical draining was put to a complete stop, leaving Syaoran in a heap on the ground, drained of almost all his life force. He struggled to get to his feet, but kept on collapsing, as if fated to meet the ground again and again. Tomoyo, who couldn't stand it any longer, went to help him up, and he somehow managed to stable himself upon his feet.

Finally, the final flow of magical energy, obviously belonging to Sakura, ceased abruptly, and the spell was activated. Sakura's eyes shone with pain and exhaustion, and she too collapsed, her weak form lying in a heap on the cold concrete ground. Tomoyo left Syaoran, who tipped over slightly, and helped Sakura to her feet much in the same way she'd done with Syaoran.

At that moment, three things happened. The first was the astonishing handicraft work of the spell, who'd degraded Eriol's body to dust, which meant the spell had sent him back. Simultaneously, Sakura's magical shield, due to the fact that it no longer had its master's magical energy to feed on, disintegrated within the instant, and the beasts, who had waited far too long for a descent feast, attacked.

Tomoyo dodged the attack with relative ease, as she hadn't been drained. Though Sakura and Syaoran had much more trouble doing so, they managed to avoid being hit. The dodging of the demon's attacks continued on for about 15 minutes when Sakura found herself in a delicate situation. She had two beasts circling her, and any attempt she could make to escape would be fatal. So she did the only descent thing: she waited. Syaoran watched her, and slowly approached her and the stalking beasts.

The beasts suddenly ceased to circle her and one of them jumped on her, claws at the ready. Sakura knew there was no way out of it, she only waited and prepared herself for the pain. Though it never came. She opened the eyes she'd closed out of fear, only to see Syaoran before her, stabbed in the chest by the demon's dagger-like claws. It took a few moments for her to realize that he'd jumped in front of her at the last minute, taken the blow for her, acting as a human shield. The beast retracted its claws and Syaoran's limp form fell to the ground with a symbolic thud.

She fell to her knees at his side, blinded by the tears of anguish that she shed. Syaoran looked her in the eyes for one last time and said in hoarse, pain filled voice,

"I promised I would die to protect you..."

With that, his eyes closed, shading his once intense amber orbs from the remains of what used to be the world. Syaoran Li was no more. His body, as did Eriol's, was degraded to dust, meaning the spell had sent him back as well.

Sakura felt a great loss within her heart, as if a piece of her very soul were ripped away. The pain blinded her senses and she didn't see the claws of one of the beasts descend towards her, holding a promise of death. She was hit full force in the side. Though she let out a cry of pain, she was able to get to her feet with all the strength she could muster. Her vision stabilized in time to see Tomoyo being stabbed from multiple sides, clearly giving her no chance of survival. Sakura limped over to her friend, and saw her eyes close, and her body degrade to dust.

Sakura was ripped apart, her soul was broken beyond repair, though she knew deep inside that when she would see them again in the renewed past, it would piece together again. With her eyes blurry with tears, her body covered in wounds and blood, she raised her head to the sky and screamed with all the air left in her lungs, a scream that filled the night with her anger, fear, desperation, and pain. The scream was abruptly cut short, and a scent of fresh blood filled the air.

Lying upon the cold ground, dying, surrounded by her own blood, every part of her blinded by an inhuman pain, Sakura's emerald eyes, who'd enchanted more than one man, closed and she succumbed to the dark abyss that is death.

**I hope you liked it! Please R&R!!**


	2. It Begins Again, or is it a Dream?

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS...**

**Hi there, its been a while! I had a TON of problems with my computer, it was living hell! Anyways, I've gotten around to updating at least this! I hope you enjoy this, as it's really only an insight on what's to come.**

**Enjoy! **

**Clow Card Arc**

**Chapter 1: It Begins Again, or was it a Dream?**

Sakura bolted right up from the ground, expecting to see a hoard of bloodthirsty monsters jumping on her, in an attempt to seize her flesh. Yet she saw none, and was utterly shocked by what she saw. She was sitting up straight, looking into her bedroom, painted in pale pink, with her dresser and all her belongings, upon her soft and comforting bed.

After having recovered from the initial shock, Sakura smiled, thinking,

'It worked!'

She ran to open her drawer, impatient to see Kero, the guardian she had lost almost one year ago. Yet when she opened it, she saw nothing but a disarray of her long forgotten belongings, sprawled every which way inside the drawer.

'But, how is that possible...'

She searched far and wide within her bedroom for the little guardian and the Clow Book, yet she found neither one. In fact, there was no proof at all that anything magical had been there. But she knew there was only one way to be certain. She reached down her night shirt, expecting to feel the familiar key that unlocked so many wonders. Yet she only felt flesh and bone.

It was then that Sakura began to wonder about the credibility of what she had lived. Though it did seem a bit odd for someone to have magic, and such, she couldn't help but think it was too real to be false, the memories too vivid to be a figment of imagination, the feelings too intense to have been simply dreamed. How could she have dreamed so many things, such as the cards, Kero, magic, and most of all, Syaoran?

Yet reason told her that she just had an extremely creative imagination, telling her that magic was a thing of fairy tales, and that Yukito, the man she supposedly truly loved, was perfectly human. The fight within her mind ceased when she heard an all too familiar voice call,

"Kaijuu! Get up!"

Such a thing could only come from one person: Toya Kinomoto. She quickly got dressed in a uniform that was from Seijou High school, and she ran downstairs at full speed.

"Good morning Toya!" she called, already expecting what was to come.

"Late morning, kaijuu." Toya sneered, smirking all the while.

Sakura's blood boiled.

"I am not a kaijuu!" she yelled, fed up with her brother's daily ritual of calling her a monster.

Fujitaka entered the room at that moment, smiling as always.

"Now then, Toya stop annoying your sister." he said.

Sakura smiled at her father and said,

"Good morning father."

Fujitaka smiled back, while Toya grumbled, downing his breakfast.

Toya got up from his seat, and began walking away while Sakura had only just finished her breakfast.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Toya turned to face her, a sly smirk plastered on his face.

"I'm leaving, and I'm going to the bus for the university with Yukito."

The effect of Yukito's name, made her blush slightly, since she knew she was supposed love him, yet something deep within her told her that her heart belonged to another. When she thought harder about it, the image of Syaoran, the boy in her 'dream' popped in her mind. She shook it off, yet she couldn't deny that Syaoran had some effect on her.

She hopped up from her seat, pulled on her shoes, and ran after Toya, who'd already walked out the door.

She chased after Toya, who was biking. She picked up a full sprint and jumped onto his bike, landing lightly on the back part of the seat. She was surprised at her own agility, as if she'd been doing these sort of stunts for a numerous amount of time. Soon enough, Yukito was visible in a distance. She expected the hot blush on her cheeks, though none came. It was as if he no longer had any effect on her.

Deep within herself, she knew that Yukito wasn't the man she truly loved, yet the more she thought about it, the more she felt as if what she had supposedly dreamed was real.

"Good morning Sakura." greeted Yukito.

Sakura smiled back, but it wasn't a real smile. Yukito apparently couldn't see through her facade.

'Syaoran would have known straight away...' she thought.

But when she caught herself thinking about him, the rational part of her mind kicked in,

'Why am I thinking about that? It was just a damned dream, for crying out loud!'

But was it really? She remembered so many things, as if she had lived several years in the same dream, yet was that possible, to recall so many details about something that isn't real? The part, however, that made her truly doubt, was the end part, where that blue haired boy, Eriol, said that they would be the sole people who would remember what had happened during and after the capture of the Clow Cards...

The Clow Cards. Another thing so improbable, yet how can one mind create such an elaborate story. Perhaps she truly had returned from a bloody outcome, maybe she had captured and tamed magical cards called the Clow Cards, it could be true that she was a sorceress, destined to great powers, it was possible that she had one day crossed paths with a young man, he too a sorcerer, who went by the name of Syaoran Li...

Sakura felt like screaming in frustration, her mind divided between the part who believed and the part who didn't. Her mind continued to rage a forsaken battle with itself, until Sakura arrived before the gates of Seijou, and was interrupted by the sadder than usual voice of the infamous Tomoyo Daidoji.

"Good morning Sakura. Is it me, or do you seem a bit down today?"

Sakura looked at Tomoyo, scanning her from top to bottom, as if expecting to see within her the proof of the existence of everything she secretly hoped wasn't all a figment of her imagination. Yet Tomoyo didn't seem to hold such information, though her usually radiant features were dulled by some sort of unexplainable sadness.

Truth be told, what Tomoyo truly felt was a great feeling of loss, that seemed to grab her heart and plunge it down to the darkest place imaginable. She too had had a strange dream, where her best friend was a magic wielder in love with a mysterious chestnut-haired boy, and where her own heart had been captured by the likes a of certain midnight blue-eyed sorcerer. She didn't know what to think either, and she dared not mention anything to Sakura, as she was sure that Sakura would think she was crazy or something along the lines of that.

The day at school went by in a blur, as neither one of the girls seemed to be completely in this world, both dwelling deep inside their thoughts, listening to their mind's perpetual fighting over the reality of what they prayed wasn't just a dream.

By the end of the day, when it came time for them to return home, both girls were broken inside, they no longer knew what to think, as they had finally given up on believing it was real, though that distant part of them screamed that it was no dream, no figment of imagination.

Sakura looked up at the sky, as if up there, dwelled the answer to her problems. She came to only one conclusion, even if such a thing, her rational side reminded her, was qualified as crazy. But she no longer cared, and she knew that it couldn't be helped. Whether it was real or not, she knew that she would remain in love with the boy in her dream, Syaoran Li. Let him be real or a simple dream man created by her mind, she knew that she couldn't bring herself to love someone else.

Tomoyo, on her side, was thinking something around the lines of that, but she also knew that if she were ever to hear about anything that concerned magic, she wouldn't be surprised the least bit.

In this manner, both girls walked solemnly to their homes, wondering if the would ever know for sure what was true and what wasn't.

Sakura walked inside the Kinomoto household, only to find that no one was there. She was glad, neither her father nor her brother would have the opportunity to question her about why she seemed so glum.

'If only they knew...' she thought before opening the fridge to try and eat something.

It was then that she heard it. A noise that seemed so monstrous, it could only be issued by a beast, and a large one by that. The part of her that believed in her dream kicked in full force, and it seemed as if her old self began to reappear. She followed the sound cautiously, silent, as she had trained herself to do so many years before. The rational part of her mind was almost died away, as she realized that the sound was coming from her father's study.

'This reminds me of something...' she thought.

She advanced with ease, not a sound coming from her, unless you count her heavy breathing. She yanked open the door and sprinted down the stairs, still with the least possible amount of noise. She quickly went through the study, to find herself wandering before a long forgotten shelf, where the noise was coming from. And before was a book, glowing faintly in the dim light.

"Can it be?" she whispered, breathless.

She walked on, picked up the book and looked at its cover. It was enough to make her gasp and slowly, tears of joy trickled down her face. For the book's title was none other than 'The Clow'.

Without warning, the seal upon the book snapped open, surprising her slightly, but she rapidly recovered and opened the book that held the key to so many memories. Indeed, inside were the magical cards that had started it all, the Clow Cards. She picked up the first card and looked at it. The Windy. Sakura remembered how she had scattered the cards, and then recalled what Eriol had said about not changing the past.

How could she have doubted the card's existence? How could she have even though that Eriol and Syaoran were just a dream.

'Then again, knowing Syaoran, he's sometimes too good to be true.' she thought.

With renewed energy, Sakura threw the card into the air, which strangely responded, and Clow Reed's seal appeared beneath her.

'And so it begins again.' she thought before yelling,

"WINDY!"

The card activated, and a great gust of wind blew throughout the room. The cards within the book flew away with such a great force, and they began to scatter about, far and wide throughout Tomoeda. She saw many of her old friends fly by, The Wood, The Jump, The Shadow, and that was about all she saw before the wind ceased and all the cards had been scattered again. And so the card captor rises again.

The book then glowed, and a small orange bear immersed from the book.

'Kero.' thought Sakura.

The bear opened its eyes and eyed Sakura.

"Hi, hi!!" he let out suddenly.

Sakura sighed. Kero would always be Kero, no matter how may times the past changed.

Seeing Sakura's utter silence, Kero said,

"Well, I'm really surprised that you didn't run away screaming."

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Kero.

"Why would I be surprised? Don't you remember me?"

Kero looked at her quizzically.

"So sorry miss. I don't believe we've met before."

Sakura then remembered what Eriol had said. Only she, Eriol, Tomoyo, and Syaoran would remember what had happened. Anyone else had no idea that the world almost fell to the hands of demons at evil's command.

"I must have mistaken you for something else. But who are you?" she asked, knowing perfectly well what was coming.

"I'll have you know I am the great Keroberos, guardian of the sacred seal of the Clow Cards, created by the great sorcerer, Clow Reed."

'Typical.' thought Sakura.

"The Clow Cards were inside the book, right?" she asked.

Kero nodded.

"Then in that case, they flew away."

Kero laughed and turned around. He froze and began yelling profusely.

Sakura brought him up to her room, and Kero explained to her that she needed to become the card captor, and that she alone could capture the cards.

Of course, Sakura knew that she wouldn't be alone for long, but Kero didn't need to know that.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Sakura Kinomoto." she replied.

Kero then stood and chanted,

"Key which holds the powers of the dark, before you stands one willing to make contract. Sakura Kinomoto is her name. Become one with her, let your power be hers. RELEASE!"

The seal of Clow and the key began to glow, a magical wind stirred about the room, as the key transformed into a staff bearing a bird's head. Sakura savored this moment, as she hadn't fully comprehended what it had meant the first time. Kero's voice then yelled,

"Sakura, grab the staff!"

Sakura advanced upon her key and with one determined outstretched hand, she grabbed it and twirled it expertly. Though she tried her best to hide her emotions, she was sure Kero could see the relief in her eyes as he said,

"Card captor is born!"

'Again.' mused Sakura silently.

She knew that the first time that Kero had told her she was the card captor, she had been firmly opposed, but even though Eriol had clearly stated that nothing about the past should be changed, at least to a certain extent, she couldn't bring herself to tell Kero that she refused. Instead, she asked a question that caused her to stifle back a laugh,

"May I call you Kero-chan?"

Kero looked her up and down with an amused look.

"You aren't serious, are you Sakura?"

"Of course I am Kero-chan. Keroberos is far too long..."

Kero then looked as if he was about to explode, which, most unfortunately, made it that much more difficult for Sakura to keep from laughing.

"How could you possibly even think for one second that I, the great Keroberos, will be called by the name of a simple plush toy!"

Sakura couldn't take it any longer, she fell on her bed laughing, tears of hilarity running down her face. Kero didn't seem to find it all that funny. But Sakura was mostly thinking of Syaoran's favorite phrase concerning the seal beast. 'That plush toy' was the only way he referred to him, unless Sakura forced him to do otherwise. When she had recovered from the laughing fit, she said,

"Right then, I shall call you Kero-chan."

Kero seemed to be on the verge of yelling again, when he stopped and looked towards the window. Sakura herself ceased all activity and stared towards the window. It couldn't be mistaken. Nothing felt like this. Long years of experience told her that she had it pinpointed.

"Clow Card..." she whispered under her breath.

She ran to the window and opened it, receiving a gust of violent wind in her face. She looked to the sky with her eyes half closed to see the form of a gigantic bird sailing in the night sky.

"Sakura, it's a Clow Card! It's..."

"The Fly." she cut off, without thinking.

She then realized her mistake and clasped a hand to her mouth. But it was already too late to take it back.

"How did you know that..." Kero asked suspiciously.

Sakura remained speechless. What was she to say? She had already let by that she knew something about the Clow Cards and their existence. She mentally slapped herself. She didn't have any desire to try and explain herself, so she very suddenly jumped out her window, into the tree and down to the ground. Kero was surprised by her agility and the way she seemed to be quite comfortable doing these sort of stunts. His suspicion only grew a bit more. But as he saw Sakura dash down the streets of Tomoeda, dressed only in her white tank and pink pajama bottoms, he jumped as well and called,

"Wait up!"

He would find the answers to these questions later. First there was The Fly to catch. Yet something tugged at him in the back of his mind, in the area where Clow controlled all his memories. This girl, Sakura, seemed awfully familiar...

**I thought it was a bit odd, since I found it difficult to see Sakura contradicting herself like that. But I suppose any normal person would have that judgement. I do hope it was good, and I'll precise just one thing: I will be taking episodes from the anime that I find have a good potential and use them, changing them.**

**Just three things:**

**1: those of you reading 'Darkness Rising' I WILL update!**

**2: I have a poll on my profile page, if anyone is interested**

**3: Please R&R!!**


	3. Fleeting Memories and Truth be Told

**Disclaimer: I **_**still**_** don't own CCS...**

**Hello, I'm back again! Even though I haven't gotten around to updating my two other on-going fics, 'Darkness Rising' and 'Spiritual Tasks', I'll manage to do it sometime soon enough. I've been basing myself on the anime so far, but I will try and combine both the anime and manga situations, and slightly alter them into something interesting, so that you lot don't get bored. I'm basically working on the first arc of this story, which is the Clow Card Arc, and for the next two chapters, I'll try to work a bit more on the other characters of CCS and their relationships, like the first 7 episodes do, as well as the first manga, and these characters will of course be Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko and Rika. Hope you enjoy this extra long chapter that took me two whole nights to write up correctly!**

**Chapter 2: Fleeting Memories and Truth be Told**

Sakura ran down the deserted streets of Tomoeda, violent gusts of wind blowing against her lithe form. Yet she never faltered as she advanced towards the source of the magical aura that leaked into the air surrounding her, Kero-chan trying his best to keep up with the dexterous young woman.

As Kero-chan watched Sakura expertly dodge flying branches ripped away by the wind, he silently questioned himself on this girl who seemed far more initiated in the arts of magic and combat than she let in on. How had she known about the Clow Card, 'The Fly'? Why had she sensed the presence of the card before even he himself had even noticed, he who was the guardian of these cards? What other sorts of fighting skills could an ordinary girl have? Yet again, the part of his memories controlled by Clow Reed tugged at him. She seemed so familiar, he had a nagging feeling that he had seen her before.

Before he could continue, he heard Sakura come to a halt, standing tall against the winds, facing a gigantic bird, which remained poised across the street.

Sakura stared at the bird, which had, over the years, become one of the most useful cards. She clearly felt the presence of the Clow Card overwhelm her senses, yet there was another presence, which was rather unsettling. An aura of darkness, veiling that of the card, which had belonged to the dreaded demons Sakura had fought along side her friends and love. With such knowledge, her heart filled with fear, as she knew better than most the outrageous strength that such entities possessed. Eriol had warned her of this as well. She would be a fool to take the card lightly, as she had done in the past.

Without warning, the great bird before her moved, letting out a cry, telling her that he was prepared to attack. Sakura instantly took up a fighting stance, as the circumstances of the past had brought Syaoran to teach her the ways of martial arts. She stood still, waiting for a sign of attack. Kero then flew to her, clearly distressed, shouting,

"Something isn't right! The aura doesn't feel like it should! Quick Sakura, the key, remember how I summoned it?"

Sakura could have yet again smacked herself mentally. Physical skill alone wasn't going to defeat a demon possessed Clow Card. She pulled out the key and chanted,

"The key which holds the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me. I, Sakura, command thee under our contract! RELEASE!"

Nothing happened. It took her a few moments to realize she had spoken the incantation for the key of the Sakura Cards, not that of the Clow Cards. Kero-chan would certainly become highly suspicious. The Fly remained still, watching her, waiting for her to call upon her magic. She supposed that the small part of the card that remembered her was trying to keep the demon at bay, so that she could invoke the key of the seal.

Kero-chan frowned deeply. He had heard such a chant somewhere, but where? Sakura once again interrupted his thoughts.

"The key which holds the powers of the dark, reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, command thee under our contract. RELEASE!"

This time, Clow Reed's seal materialized beneath her feet as the key transformed into an elegant staff with a bird's head. Once the staff was held firmly in her hand, the bird spread its wings and came charging at her, full speed.

Without enough time to react, Sakura was hit full force by the bird's head, sending her flying for a good 100 feet before she landed in a crumpled heap.

"Sakura!" yelled Kero-chan, worried about the young woman.

She slowly raised herself to her feet, clutching her side, slightly wincing. As she looked towards the sky, she saw the bird turning back around and its form charging at her once more. She ran to the side and pulled out the sole card in her possession. When she was about to summon it, she saw the bird halt in midair.

'This can't be anything good...'she thought.

Indeed, the bird opened its great beak and a ball of dark energy began to form itself, and Sakura had an overall idea of what its potential target was. The orb had taken shape and was projected towards her at a blinding speed. She ran out of the way before she could take any damage, feeling a slight pain pulsing through her side. She avoided the blow, but a small part of the street hadn't. The bird was preparing another attack, and Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands. Pulling out the card again, she threw it before her and chanted,

"Wind, guide my form to the entity lying yonder, WINDY!"

The gentle spirit of the wind appeared and carried Sakura towards the bird at breath taking speed, before the released card had the time to react. She landed gracefully on its back, but the bird would have none of it. It threw itself around, its head rearing in anger as it's wings beat wildly taking it higher in altitude as Sakura hung on to its back for dear life. At that, she pulled out Windy again with her free hand, which was also holding her staff. She threw it out before her and hit the card with her staff as it began its fall towards earth.

"Wind, become the chain that binds it, WINDY!"

The card shot out, far more violently that before and swiftly captured The Fly in its binds. The bird fell from the sky, Sakura with it, and landed with a great thud upon the cold concrete. Sakura fell off the birds back due to the shock of landing in such a brutal fashion, managing to land on her bruised side. Groaning in pain, she clutched her injured side and used her staff to raise her body off the ground again. She walked up to the bird's front and summoned Clow's seal.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!"

As the staff hit the air, the form of a card was distinguished, and the entity of The Fly was sucked in. At the same moment, a dark essence floated out of the card and disappeared into the night. The card had been captured, and a demon defeated. The card then floated down to her hands, revealing the drawing of a majestic bird with 'The Fly' inscribed in bold letters. Sakura smiled, content at her work.

Kero-chan, as expected, floated towards her, and Sakura was awaiting his praise or his awe at her skills, as he had always displayed. Yet neither came. Instead, he spoke in a darkened tone.

"Sakura, what is the meaning of this?"

She whipped around to face the guardian beast, who bore a somber expression, and she innocently asked,

"What do you mean?"

She somehow feared that Kero-chan would question her about her abilities, and had no idea what sort of lie she could brew up. But she never expected the answer he supplied her.

"Sakura, I know what happened. I know you captured all the cards, that you became their master, that demons took over the world."

Sakura stared at him in utter shock. Certainly he couldn't be making such an accurate wild guess? Eriol had told them all that they would be the sole individuals to remember what fate had claimed humanity. She decided to play dumb, to see if he truly did know.

"Kero-chan, I don't know what you're talking about."

He frowned deeply at this.

"Don't pull that on me Sakura. You want proof? Your best friend is Tomoyo Daidoji, right? You know Clow Reed's reincarnation, Eriol Hiiragizawa. You fell in love with that damned brat, Syaoran Li. Don't even try to fool me Sakura Kinomoto."

Sakura didn't know what to say. Eriol's spell wasn't working? If that were the case, then people remembering the alternate past would lead to awful problems. If it wasn't the case, then why? When her voice returned to her, she spoke in a tone of voice that reeked of experience and knowledge in the present subject.

"Kero-chan, how do you know this? Why do you remember? Eriol clearly stated that only he, Tomoyo, Syaoran and myself would remember."

Kero-chan sighed, preparing to explain to his mistress.

"While you battled the card, and even before, I was suspicious. I had a feeling that I knew you, and that all came from the part of my mind that is still under Clow Reed's jurisdiction. As Eriol is his reincarnation, and you are not officially the master of the cards, he managed to feed his memories of the events to me. He most likely wanted to spare you the difficulty of constantly dealing with me."

Sakura was yet again stunned, but grateful for Eriol's good judgment. Hiding everything from Kero-chan would have been extremely difficult. She suddenly broke out into a smile.

"I'm glad you're back Kero-chan. I missed you..."

The small guardian flew to perch on Sakura's shoulder and cuddled up against her.

"I'm glad you're all right Sakura, I missed you too..."

They stayed like this for a bit, until Kero-chan suddenly raised his head and flew out in front of Sakura.

"Didn't Tomoyo find out about you by filming you just this night?"

Sakura's eyes widened and without uttering a single word, she instantly pulled out The Fly. The seal appeared beneath her and she threw the card into the air.

"Bear your wings upon this staff, FLY!"

Feathers grew on the staff's head, and Sakura jumped upon it, Kero-chan quick to follow her. She took to the sky, soundless, enjoying the dark and silence of the night to relive the sensation of flight she so missed, letting the wings guide her to destination.

Tomoyo laid upon her bed, in a white tank top and lilac pajama bottoms, the same as Sakura's attire. She stared blankly at the ceiling, questioning her tormented mind about the dream she had experienced. She tried several times to get her mind off it, yet she couldn't. Her mind had the twisted sense to recall the image of the handsome boy with entrancing midnight blue eyes, which had come to haunt her in the past 24 hours. She also wondered about the other boy with amber eyes, the one her friend had loved, and she resisted the urge to call her emerald-eyed friend to ask her. Sakura would think she was crazy. It was then that she recalled how she had found out about the Clow Cards in the first place. Hoping that she could finally prove herself that magic indeed existed, she pulled out her faithful camera and filmed the night sky from her balcony.

She filmed the moon and scanned the skies for almost an hour, and her heart sank as each minute ticked by on the clock. She was about to give up and return to bed when she saw something as a speck upon the milky whiteness of the moon. Tomoyo zoomed with her trusty camera and caught a sight that made tears rise in her eyes and made her cry out in happiness. She clearly saw a girl flying upon a winged stick of sorts, with a small creature beside her. Even if she had been hallucinating, she would have cried out in joy anyway.

But the figure changed directions and came charging at her, and the speck began to resemble something quite larger. Sure enough, falling from the sky and landing gracefully upon the balcony of the Daidoji residence was Sakura Kinomoto, along with the guardian beast of the seal, Keroberos.

Tomoyo felt the tears of joy trickle down her cheeks, but she no longer cared about such trivial matters. She ran towards her best friend and flung her arms around her. Sakura returned the embrace tried to shush Tomoyo's light sobbing.

"I thought it was all a dream..." she let out.

"So did I..." replied Sakura.

Both girls stared at each other, their eyes of emerald and lavender spilling tears of happiness.

"How did we doubt them? The cards, the boys, especially the boys..." asked Sakura.

"I don't know Sakura, I don't know..." she replied.

She then let go of the card captor and in turn embraced the small bear like creature.

"I missed you as well Kero-chan."

Kero didn't reply, yet Tomoyo knew that her feelings were returned. At that moment, Sakura motioned Tomoyo towards her staff and climbed upon it. Without asking twice, Tomoyo jumped aboard herself and with that, Sakura took to the skies, feeling at peace with herself at long last.

_One week later..._

"Sakura, wake up!" yelled Kero-chan towards the limp form draped across the bed.

Yes, Kinomoto Sakura was in a deep sleep, her facial expression at peace, slightly clutching her sheets. Kero-chan watched her, exasperated by the inability to be woken up displayed by the young card captor, and to be mistress of the cards.

"I'll bet that even a Clow Card right next to her wouldn't wake her up..." he muttered under his breath.

Of course, he knew that the slightest presence would send her running outside half dressed to chase after it. But for the moment, she was still asleep, and he had the slight impression that she would be dashing about wildly to avoid being late when she woke. Sighing deeply, Kero-chan took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his little lungs,

"WAKE UP!!!"

Sakura sat up, startled by the outburst of her guardian. Upon seeing only Kero-chan, she slumped back down tiredly onto the bed.

"Sakura, if you don't get up, you'll be late again..." Kero-chan warned.

Sakura stared blankly at him for a few seconds. He knew what was coming next. No matter how many years of maturity the young woman would gain, she would still act as dense. When the half asleep girl finally processed the information, her eyes widened and she yelped,

"Hoe!!"

With that, she sprinted out of bed and dashed about to dress and get ready for school. When she at long last exited the bathroom, dressed in a lovely navy blue skirt and a pale blue buttoned shirt with the Seijou crest on the chest pocket, she grabbed her bag and bid farewell to Kero-chan, who instantly dashed towards the video games and television when she'd left.

Sakura dashed down the stairs and caught sight of her brother chomping on pancakes, talking to her father about his latest part time job.

"Ohayo onii-chan!" she greeted cheerfully, knowing all too well what came next.

"Late morning, kaijuu..." he replied, smirking.

Sakura glared at Toya, who simply smiled in return. She decided to ignore her brother's typical comment and proceeded to sit down and eat breakfast.

When she'd finished and finally departed for school with Toya, who'd met up with Yukito along the way to the bus stop to go to the nearby university, she silently gazed at the cherry trees that lined the street, finding her thoughts wandering off to Syaoran. It had only been one week since Sakura and Tomoyo had found themselves without the company of the two young men who had spent nearly all their free time with them during the past 5 years, who also happened to be the ones they loved. Yet she couldn't help but wonder if he had thought of her, or if he too had thought that their meeting had been a dream. Her thoughts were interrupted by Toya's mention of,

"Here's the school..."

She turned around and waved towards her brother and his best friend, and remembering that she was supposedly 'attracted' to Yukito, she called,

"Bye Yukito-san!"

He smiled back at her, obviously aware of her 'infatuation'.

She turned around and unexpectedly came face to face with a smirking Tomoyo.

"Sakura, you certainly do have a way with men. First Syaoran, and now Yukito-san."

Sakura stared at Tomoyo questioningly.

"Tomoyo, I only just said good-bye to him..."

Tomoyo gave her a knowing look, clearly showing that she hadn't been serious. The two girls began to walk towards the school entrance when Tomoyo suddenly asked,

"Sakura, have you felt any Clow Cards around since last time?"

Sakura shook her head. She had been straining her magical vision to extremes in hope to find the distinct aura of a Clow Card. Apparently, no matter what sort of experience she had in such matters, the cards and the entities possessing them didn't want to have anything to do with her until they decided to take action. She had looked back to all her captures in the past and knew that, if the cards were to respect the same timeline as before, The Shadow card would strike next. When and where, she couldn't be certain. Perhaps it would be at school, like the first time. Or the card might find another way of disrupting the daily lives of the inhabitants of Tomoeda, along with herself. Tomoyo's voice broke into her deep thoughts as she stated,

"There is only one real positive side about this return to old times..."

Sakura said nothing, waiting to hear what she could possibly find good about their current situation.

"I get to film you and your great deeds all over again!" she said dreamily, whipping out her Sony digital camera.

Sakura sighed. Even if Tomoyo liked Eriol, she would always consider Sakura as the only person worthy of being filmed. Sakura was just glad that she'd abandoned the idea of creating costumes for her, as Tomoyo's creations had always been rather... extravagant.

The two friends proceeded to class, and spent their morning like all of the other 9th year students attending Seijou High School. After lunch, during which the two had shared a bento made by Tomoyo, they girls, along with their class, attended physical education class. They were going to be playing badminton in doubles, so they all had to choose their partners. Naturally, Sakura and Tomoyo were together, as well as Chiharu and Yamazaki, and Rika and Naoko. Their teacher set up the tournament, and the matches began, soon, the finalist teams were facing each other, and it was none other than Sakura and Tomoyo, against Chiharu and Yamazaki.

The match began, as Yamazaki served from his side, and Sakura slammed her racket onto the birdie, which smacked right onto the concrete mere seconds later. Tomoyo then served, and their team won point after point until they had reached a score of 11-2. When Sakura was about to serve, she suddenly felt a magical feeling tug at her senses, and she remained still, using her enhanced magical senses to detect what was causing her uneasiness. Right there, behind her. The aura of a Clow Card. She stood still as her unfocused gaze became serious and concentrated. Chiharu and Yamazaki, as well as the rest of the class, couldn't understand why Kinomoto Sakura was no longer moving. Tomoyo, recognizing the expression, knew that a Clow Card must be nearby, so she slowly walked towards Sakura and took the birdie from her. She whispered to her ear,

"It's a Clow Card, isn't it?"

Sakura quickly nodded, and Tomoyo spoke loudly,

"I'll serve if you don't feel up to it."

They switched places and Sakura gained the front of the court.

"Are you all right Sakura-chan?" asked a concerned Chiharu.

"I'm fine Chiharu-chan, don't worry."

Though she only half believed her, Chiharu accepted the explanation and the match continued. Tomoyo served and the birdie was sent flying over the net and Yamazaki, who was at the back, was prepared to receive it. That was when Sakura saw it. Yamazaki's shadow, which wasn't moving the same way its original was. The two auras of the card and the demon flared, burning bright in her magical eye, and Sakura knew that the young man was in danger. But before she could cry out a warning, the shadow had grabbed Yamazaki's leg, and pulled him to the ground, twisting the leg all the while, earning a pained expression from him. The shadow's clawed hands slashed his chest, and a deep gash formed, turning his sports shirt from pale blue to a growing stain of deep red. Chiharu cried out and ran to him, abandoning her racket upon the ground. The teacher came quickly, along with the rest of the class.

Tomoyo and Sakura didn't move. The Clow Card had acted, and it wouldn't stop until it was captured, and broad daylight was the best moment to do so for this particular card. While the whole class was crowed around Yamazaki, Sakura and Tomoyo ran off, following the now moving Clow Card. They sprinted all across the field, until they reached a darker part of the grounds, shaded heavily in trees and by a small storage shack. The ideal place for The Shadow to lurk. As they scanned the area in search of any manifestation of the entity, the shadows of the two girls began to move independently from their masters, swiftly taking to the darker environment beneath the trees. When Sakura at long last felt the magical presence, it was already too late.

All too suddenly, Tomoyo let out a yell of pain as she felt a burning sensation creeping along her leg, as dark blood leaked out of the wound.

"Tomoyo!" cried Sakura, swiftly running to her friend, supporting her lithe form that was starting to limp due to the pain issued from the wound.

"I'll be fine Sakura, just capture the card. It's all that matters." she replied in uneven breaths, still under the shock of the painful burning sensation.

Sakura stared worriedly at her friend, but let her down against a tree before turning towards the shaded space.

"Shadow, I challenge you! Show yourself!"

She didn't need asking twice. The card swiftly slashed at her side, digging deep into the one she had bruised the week before while fighting The Fly. She bit her lip so as to keep in her cry of pain, yet a soft yelp escaped her lips as she collapsed to her knees. Several other shadows began to gather, coming from the whole school, all being summoned by The Shadow. She struggled to stand, despite the pain shooting through her side. The Shadow's true from was then revealed, the black hooded figure that she knew all too well. Knowing that if she didn't capture it now, it would attack again and make even more damage, she pulled out her key and chanted,

"The key which holds the powers of the dark, reveal your true from before me. I, Sakura, command thee under our contract. RELEASE!"

The key transformed into her staff, and she instantly pulled out a card, throwing it into the air in the process.

"Wind, become the chain that binds it! WINDY!"

The card of the wind shot out and winded itself rapidly around the rebellious Shadow. Still clutching her side in pain, she lifted her staff and yelled,

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!" and she slammed the bird's head down to let a card materialize out of thin air, and the spirit of the Shadow was sucked into it. Yet again, a darker entity disappeared into the air, proving itself as defeated. The card floated down to her, and she caught it with her free hand. Sakura smiled weakly, and looked down to the ground. A small puddle of blood had begun to form, and she suddenly felt weak and unable to stand. As she collapsed all together onto the ground, the last thing she heard was Tomoyo calling out to her,

"Sakura!"

An hour later, Sakura woke from her deep sleep, surrounded by the warmth of her blankets and slowly opened her emerald eyes to gaze at her bedroom and the face of a concerned Kero-chan hovering over her face.

"Sakura, what happened? Tomoyo said it was The Shadow card that did this. Are you all right?"

Sakura stared at the floating stuffed animal and smiled.

"I've seen worse Kero-chan. I'll be all right."

The guardian sighed, knowing he couldn't push the matter.

"You know, Toya's worried about you, and so is your father. They're both pacing about downstairs, and they won't stop coming up here."

Sakura felt guilty that her brother and father would cancel their activities for her sake. It had been her fault if the card had injured her. They shouldn't need to become involved in her perilous escapades. Yet she knew that they would react like this towards her being hurt.

Foot steps were then heard coming closer, making Sakura attention turn towards the door and wonder which one, between her brother and father, would discover her wide awake as Kero-chan quickly stood still to portray himself as a plush toy. Toya then entered the room seconds later, merely staring at his sister for a few fleeting seconds before he walked up to her and began pestering her with questions such as, 'What happened' or 'Are you all right', even if he added 'kaijuu' each time. Sakura knew that behind his antics, Toya had been truly worried about her welfare, but she decided to ignore such a detail, and try to persuade her brother that she was feeling perfectly fine, even if she did feel slight jolts of pain when she made exaggerated movements.

Toya explained to her as casually as possible that she'd been treated at school and brought home, as her injury wasn't too serious. Sakura did, however, notice that her torso was wrapped in white bandages that she felt were slightly damp against her skin. Recalling the confrontation against the Clow Card, The Shadow, she locked eyes with her brother and asked him with a worried gaze,

"What happened to Tomoyo and Yamazaki-kun?"

Toya returned her gaze and sighed, answering,

"Tomoyo-chan is fine, she's only got a gash on her leg that didn't seem too serious, but is Yamazaki-kun the one who got his chest ripped open?"

Sakura nodded, confirming Toya's guess.

"Then he's in about the same state as you, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure he'll be all right."

Sakura sighed in relief, glad that her friends were out of danger. Toya then left the room, guessing that his sister may want some time to herself. Once the door was closed, Sakura gently let her lithe form fall back onto the bed and sighed. She wouldn't be getting out of her bed for a while, and even though the two cards she had faced had proven more difficult than any of the others in the past, she knew that the challenges that she would be facing along side Tomoyo and later, Syaoran, would be far more difficult and dangerous. She felt her eyelids grow heavy, and before falling back into a deep sleep, she pondered on the image of her love, wishing he were here with her.

Kero-chan, meanwhile, watched this scene worriedly, eyeing his mistress with care and thought,

'I can only fear about her safety in the trials to come...'

**Phew... that was long! Or at least longer than I usually do. Hope you all liked it, even if it was a bit Sakura and Tomoyo centric ( ok, maybe a lot! ) If anyone was wondering, I won't be writing all of the episodes of the anime, only the ones I have planned in my stories, but if anybody wants a particular episode uploaded, then feel free to ask me through PM or review, by giving me an idea of what is expected. I may or may not reconsider it. Next is 'The Watery'. **

**On another note, (this is turning into a long A/N!) I have written a one-shot for the OC challenge made by 'The Fireplace' forum. If anyone is interested, I would appreciate reviews. Dropping by the forum to view some of the other posted one-shots would be great, as many of the stories there are worth the read! I will try and update soon!**


	4. The Watery Strikes Again

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS...**

**Hi everyone, I've finally finished this chapter! I've been working on it for a while, trying to detail everything, and I hope you all like it. Enjoy it, and please review!**

**Chapter 3: The Watery Strikes Again**

An entire month had passed since Sakura had captured the Shadow card, and no strange events had occurred afterwards. Of course, had something happened, Sakura wouldn't have been able to stop it, as she wasn't supposed to get out of bed due to the injury that she had received fighting Fly and Shadow. This only managed to irritate Sakura, as she didn't like the thought of her friends being in danger without being able to interfere.

Tomoyo came by each day to tell her the interesting things that had happened at school, and every time Sakura would ask about anything strange that might have occurred, and Tomoyo always reassured her by telling her that everything was fine. Sakura was starting to feel restless by the time the month had come to end, and the family doctor finally told her she could return to school if she promised not to strain herself physically. Sakura complied, and the following day, the young woman was already walking past the gates of Seijou High school, clad in the blue uniform that all the students wore.

Sakura was warmly greeted by her friends, welcoming her back, yet when Chiharu found out that she had returned, she almost leaped into the air for joy, as the same exact day, Yamazaki had been allowed to return as well, though he couldn't participate in P.E class, just like Sakura. She finally felt like her life would take a turn for the better.

They all sat down in their seats as their teacher, Yoshiyuki Terada, walked into the class for homeroom. Sakura then felt someone tapping her shoulder. She turned to her right where she saw Tomoyo looking at Rika. Sakura herself looked at the young woman, who had a lovely pink blush spreading across her cheeks, trying not to look at Terada. Sakura silently chuckled to herself. Over the years, she had finally been let on by Tomoyo that Rika and Terada loved each other, and were even engaged. At first, Sakura had been slightly angry at Tomoyo for not telling her sooner, but when she replied by saying that at the time, when they were 10, she hadn't been ready for such information, Sakura found nothing to say back to her, as she knew all too well that Tomoyo was right, yet again.

Sakura had always felt sad for Rika, as she wasn't allowed to show her love openly to Terada, as he wasn't allowed to do so with her. At least she and Syaoran could show themselves together in public. But then again, it took their friends an entire year to find out that they were going out, and at first, Yamazaki thought that Syaoran was cracking a joke. He had been extremely embarrassed when she and Tomoyo had confirmed his statement.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Terada, who was announcing to the class that tomorrow they would be going to Tomoeda City's aquarium, and after that to the pool for P.E class. He finished his speech and turned to the right, saying,

"As for you two, Yamazaki-kun and Kinomoto-san, as we are having our physical education class at the pool, you may go swimming apart from the class, but remember that you must not strain yourselves."

They both nodded, and Terada dismissed them, and they all went to their respective classes.

A few hours later, it was lunch time, and Sakura and Tomoyo had joined Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko, and Rika underneath the large tree that bordered the elementary school fence.

"Sakura-chan, Tomoyo-chan, where were you two? Come on, if you don't hurry, there won't be any left for you, seeing how Yamazaki seems to be eating everything!"

Both girls giggled at this, as Yamazaki made feeble attempts to prove that Chiharu was only trying to make fun of him. They both sat down and Tomoyo instantly commenced a conversation with Naoko about her latest story she was writing. Sakura meanwhile began to speak with Rika, while Chiharu and Yamazaki were trying to get the upper hand at eating the most sushi rolls.

Suddenly, Terada came out and sat alone on a bench that seemed rather isolated from the rest of the grounds. As expected, Rika instantly blushed. Noticing this, Sakura looked at where Rika was staring at, and upon seeing Terada, she linked him to Rika's reaction. Thinking over her idea first, Sakura then bent over and whispered,

"Go ahead Rika. I'll cover up for you."

Rika looked at Sakura with shock, obviously considering Sakura too dense to realize what she had been thinking about. Yet once she had recovered, she broke into a smile and whispered back,

"Thank you Sakura-chan. I think Tomoyo-chan has rubbed out on you..." and with that she silently got up and left, going towards Terada.

Sakura herself smiled, glad that her friend might be able to have some quality time with the one she loved, her number one as Yukito had put it.

Suddenly, Yamazaki's head popped out of no where in front of her, and Sakura yelped in surprise. Tomoyo chuckled at this, as well as Chiharu and Naoko. Neither of them asked where Rika had gone, as they knew pretty much the answer. Yamazaki took a deep breath and began,

"Sakura-chan, did you know that sushi rolls were used to make futons back in the old days, until people finally figured out that they were edible?"

Sakura stared cluelessly at Yamazaki. Was this one of his lies? Maybe, but she would let him continue.

"Yes, you see, they needed something rather bouncy to sleep on, for comfort. But most unfortunately, it was far too wet, and the practice was abandoned in a few decades."

Chiharu's hands were suddenly seen, and Yamazaki found himself being yet again strangled by the young woman.

"Of course Yamazaki, always lying! Stop telling lies!"

At this point, the poor boy was incapable of speech, since he was lacking in air. Chiharu finally gave him mercy, saying that it was because he was still hurt. She seemed relatively annoyed, but a few minutes later, she was already falling asleep in his arms. That was loves forgiveness, as Tomoyo put it.

Sakura meanwhile, was still utterly stumped. Yet again, she had almost fallen for Yamazaki's lies. It was a bit embarrassing, seeing how old she was, and she knew that she should know better, especially seeing what she had lived through, but it seemed as if she would forever remain naive.

Tomoyo, watching the scene intently, giggled upon the expression plastered onto Sakura's face at the moment. Again, she had fallen for Yamazaki's lies. It had always made her laugh in the past, and today was no different. So caught up in the hilarity of the moment, Tomoyo almost forgot Sakura's recent injuries and the whole ordeal they were yet to go through. She almost did. Tomoyo snapped back to reality when she saw Sakura wincing slightly when she lay down on the grass, quite obviously due to the lingering pain caused by her not yet completely healed injuries. This only brought Tomoyo back to their current dilemma; being the Clow Cards.

Certainly, when they were but children, the whole ordeal had seemed rather impressive, especially for herself, as Sakura had rapidly become used to dealing with the magical world, and even more so when Syaoran made his first appearance. Yet today, in this rerun of their past feasted by dark humor, even though they knew most of magic's limits and boundaries, Tomoyo had been quite spectacularly impressed by how such docile cards had become vengeful beings filled with bloody ambitions. Though Tomoyo did trust Eriol's judgment, she had been rather unbelieving at first, as she knew all too well the nature of a Clow Card. But after having seen Shadow's brutality, going to the point of injuring Sakura in a drastic way, Tomoyo now knew that the demon's control over the cards was far more dramatic then she thought any of them had possibly imagined.

Tomoyo was pulled out of her thoughts by Sakura's voice, calling out her name.

"Tomoyo? Come on, answer me..." she asked softly.

Tomoyo stared into Sakura's emerald eyes, who were slightly questioning, with a hidden concern.

"What is it Sakura?" Tomoyo answered just as softly, not sure why her friend had decided to have a conversation in this tone of voice.

Sakura sighed with relief when Tomoyo finally answered her calls, glad that nothing had been wrong.

"No, it's all right Tomoyo, it's just that you weren't responding to anybody and I wondered why."

At this Tomoyo smiled, some what happy that her friend would house this much concern for her.

"Don't worry about me Sakura, I'm fine. Nothing happened, so just try to relax a bit." she replied.

Sakura smiled back, a smile that could melt the coldest of icy lands, as Syaoran put it.

Just then, Rika came running back, as Terada obviously was on his way back to class. She sat down and sighed in happiness, thrilled with her small given time with the one she loved. Tomoyo smiled at this, as well as Sakura, though Yamazaki most likely hadn't even noticed Rika's return, as he was too busy watching lovingly upon a sleeping Chiharu. Naoko, who had suddenly immerged from the book she had picked up after Tomoyo had stopped talking to her, greeted Rika warmly with a,

"Welcome back Rika-chan!"

Rika smiled in utter happiness, as the sound of the bell chime at the nearby Tomoeda Elementary School rang out loudly, calling them back to their afternoon classes. They all sighed, and Yamazaki was forced to awaken his sleeping beauty, having a group of chatting people walk by followed by another which seemed to still be half asleep. Perhaps Chirharu would fall asleep in their upcoming mathematics class. Sure enough, it had been the case for poor Chiharu, who was jolted awake by the teacher's scolding.

The rest of the day went by without much incident, excepting by the gates, where Yamazaki was unexpectedly overwhelmed by a surge of pain from his not yet completely healed injuries, and Chiharu was in obligation of taking him home. On Sakura's part, she hadn't felt much from her injury, only slight stings of pain every so often. To everyone, she showed how her injuries were almost gone and that she was perfectly capable of doing what she had always done. Yet deep inside, she was immensely worried about the appearance of a Clow Card. Having seen how vicious they were only lead her to think that if one attacked her in her current state, she might not come out of the battle unscathed.

Once she had at last closed the door to her bedroom behind her, she slumped down onto the floor and sighed. This behavior didn't go unnoticed by Kero-chan, who put down the book he had been reading, obviously about video games, and flew over to Sakura's side.

"What's wrong. Did something happen? Does it hurt somewhere?" he asked all at once.

Sakura looked up at the small guardian beast of the seal and gave a small smile.

"I'm fine Kero-chan. You can go back to what you were doing."

Kero-chan frowned at this, not at all pleased that she still lyed about her state.

"Sakura, I've known you long enough to know that when you act like this, then something is wrong." he stated matter-of-factly.

Sakura drew another long sigh and raised her lithe form from the ground, dragging herself onto the large pink bed and collapsing onto its many blankets and pillows. She stared at the ceiling, her eyes now reflecting her worry.

"It's nothing much really. I'm just scared that I'll be incapable of handling a new card. I've only just gotten out of bed today, and I'm already fussing over the Clow Cards."

Kero-chan stared sadly at his mistress, his heart hurting seeing how she seemed to consider the current situation. Certainly, Sakura had gotten stronger and far more mature because of what she had lived through, yet she was still quite the emotional person, especially when it came to things like these. When Kero-chan looked back at Sakura's eyes, he saw the emerald color swirling beneath a brim of tears waiting to fall. Sure enough, the small drops of sadness fell from her eyes and streaked down her face as she let out light sobs.

Why was she crying? It had been at least a year since the last time she recalled feeling the burning tears run down her face in streams of sadness. But she couldn't help it, her worries had taken over and she knew that she'd gone all emotional again. She knew that her current worries about the cards wasn't the only reason she was sobbing into her pillow with Kero-chan by her side. Even though she knew he wouldn't want it, she still cried because she missed Syaoran. Only one month and two weeks had gone by since the last time she had truly seen him, and that time alone was enough to make the tears fall, as she had seen him lying on the ground, dying in agony, slashed by monstrous claws of foul demons.

It reminded her of when she was 11, the day he had told her that he was going back to Hong Kong. She had run up into her room and cried her heart out, realizing just how much she loved him. All of it seemed so far away, so out of touch with the reality she was living in. Yet the reaction was the same, no matter how much time had passed. So for one day, she would allow the tears to fall, just so she could finally let it all out. Kero-chan stayed with her, trying to comfort the crying young woman with soothing words, but when he saw his attempts were in vain, he simply lay down next to her and cuddled against her, in a final attempt to ease her sorrows.

_The next morning..._

When Sakura woke up the following day, she felt her eyes were sore from their crying, and yet she felt far better than before, having drowned away her sorrows, if only for a short time, away with her tears. She rose from her bed, seeing Kero-chan sleeping, curled up in a ball on her pillow. She smiled at the cute sight before her, and noticed that she wouldn't need to change into her uniform this morning, as she was already dressed. She simply packed another bag with her swim suit for the later swimming class, and her notepad, so she could write down important facts when at the aquarium. When all of her things were in order, she smiled one last time at Kero-chan and ran down the stairs. Perhaps it was better to not confront him about her sobbing from the previous night. Or at least, not yet.

When she'd finally walked silently down the stairs, hoping to perhaps escape breakfast, she bumped right into the one person that she had fully expected to be their, Toya.

"Ohayo onii-chan..." she sighed, awaiting his usual morning reply.

Yet it never came. Sakura looked at her brother, who was silently chomping down on his morning eggs, in a vain attempt to avoid looking at his sister. Sakura knew that Toya cared for her. She'd always known, but he truly showed his love for her a year back, when he'd jumped in front of a demon to save her, much like Syaoran had done some time later. He told her how much he cared about her well-being, and swore that if the gaki, in other words, Syaoran, didn't take good care of her, he'd haunt him from heaven. How she'd cried that day, as it had also been the day she'd seen her father, Yukito and Kero die. She never got over the fact that they were dead, but did her best to continue living while she could. Toya's words broke through her train of thought,

"You all right kaijuu?"

Sakura ignored her brother's teasing and simply replied,

"I'm fine Toya.", the fact that she'd called him by his name not passing him by.

For the first time, Toya chose not to reply. The rest of their breakfast was eaten in silence, until Fujitaka entered the room, and they both greeted him with a warm,

"Ohayo!"

With that, she departed from the house, following Toya to the bus stop where she would then greet Yukito. She watched the leaves fall off every tree as she passed, announcing the start of autumn. This over joyed her in more than one way, as it meant time was passing, and soon spring would come again, and it also meant that she was getting closer to seeing Syaoran again.

In the distance, she caught sight of Yukito, his golden honey colored eyes shining in happiness upon seeing Toya and herself.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!" he called to her.

"Ohayo Yukito-san!" she answered just as merrily.

Yukito smiled at Sakura, as she smiled back. Though she wasn't in love with him any more, Yukito remained someone close to her heart, just like her brother, or Kero, or Yue. Speaking of which, she wondered how he was doing.

"Ohayo Toya." greeted Yukito to her brother.

"Ohayo Yuki." Toya answered, using the affectionate name he had for Yukito. As they started chatting, Sakura looked at Yukito, and whispered,

"Ohayo to you as well, Yue-san."

Yukito seemed stop for a moment, staring blankly at Sakura, and she was certain that somewhere, deep down, Yue had heard her and was expressing his own greeting. Sakura smiled at the thought. That was when Yukito chose to speak.

"You know Sakura-chan, Toya got some tickets to the aquarium for free, and since he doesn't plan on using them, I was wondering if would you come with me?"

Sakura remembered how she'd gone to the aquarium with Yukito back a few years ago, and who excited she'd been at her first date. It certainly had been fun, but it had been interrupted by the Watery card. Which brought her mind make to the current problem. If it popped up, she would at least be prepared, yet she was scared to take on a card just yet, as she had expressed her worries last night. But after all, the confrontation couldn't be avoided, and with a little luck, the card might not be there at all.

"If you don't want to, I'll understand of course." Yukito then said.

"Oh no, it's all right, I'd be glad to go with you Yukito-san!" she replied, noticing the fact that she'd given no response.

"It's settled then!" he said happily, just as their bus was rounding the corner.

"Well then, we'll be off. Have a good time at school Sakura-chan!" he said.

"I will!" she called back, and ran off towards Seijou High School.

Upon her arrival, she was naturally greeted by Tomoyo, followed by Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko and Rika. They attended homeroom as usual, and Terada had led them all towards the large bus waiting for them at the gates of the school. They boarded and Sakura was of course seated by Tomoyo, who brandished her faithful camera, as always.

"Sakura, today is certainly going to be a lovely day, I can feel it!" Tomoyo, her expression determined.

Sakura believed her, as Tomoyo had a natural talent for guessing all sorts of things, like the outcome of certain situations, as Sakura had learned.

"What could possibly make you think that Tomoyo?"

"Why, I'm finally getting real footage of you for the first time in a year! How wonderful is that!" she replied.

Sakura sighed. Tomoyo was never going to change. She should have seen that one coming. But Tomoyo was the only person, apart from Kero who knew anything about the old past, and Sakura felt the need to tell her about her concerns regarding the aquarium.

"Tomoyo, I don't like this. You do remember where we got the Watery card, right?"

Tomoyo's face instantly took on a grave expression, understanding why Sakura was fretting so much.

"Then we'll have to stay alert. Knowing these new cards, they'll attack when we least expect it..."

Sakura's frown deepened, as Tomoyo only confirmed her impression. She was practially certain that the Watery would show itself today, and though she'd rather stay back with her recently recovered injuries, she knew that it was either a bit of pain for her, or devasting damage to the rest of Tomoeda. Sakura knew which was the more rational of the choices.

"Sakura, remember the invincible spell. Everything will definately be all right. I believe in you, and so does Kero-chan. So stop getting all flustered like that!" Tomoyo told her, her eyes shining with determination.

Sakura smiled at her. She was right, she was getting far too flustered by the cards. Of course she'd delt with them before, she knew their every weak point, she knew when and how she'd captured each one. She was only reluctant since she knew about the Clow Card's new aura of agressivity. With a new born determination, she stood up and followed Tomoyo out of the bus, which had stopped right in front of Tomoeda's aquarium.

Once Terada had split the class into groups of four, Sakura, Tomoyo, Chiharu and Yamazaki set off across the halls of vast aquarium. In an hour, they had to see as many different sort of fish as possible, and with Yamazaki dragging the three girls to every tank in record time, by the time they'd arrived in front of the tropical fish tank, the group had seen quite a large amount of the aquarium. They had a little less than 5 minutes to get a good look at the fish before heading back to see the rest of the class.

Running up to the tank, fascinated by the varitey of color, Sakura stared as if in trance at the dance of the creatures in the clear blue waters.

"Amazing!" she let out in awe.

Tomoyo giggled, filming Sakura in the midst of her fascination.

Yamazaki laughed as well, seeing the behavior of a 15 year old girl that looked more like that of a 10 year old one. He and Chiharu began to leave, Tomoyo following when she realized that Sakura wasn't behind her. Expecting her to have stayed stuck to the glass, Tomoyo met a far different sight that didn't please her at all.

Sakura stared at the tank, no longer with fascination, but with cold look that mixed fear, worry, and determination, all in one swirl of emotions turned emerald green. Only one thing could put Sakura into a state like this. The Watery card must have made its predicted appearance. Tomoyo backed away from Yamazaki and Chiharu, who were too occupied with Yamazaki's new lie to notice.

"It's here, isn't it?" Tomoyo whispered, her eyes tensing.

Sakura only nodded, her gaze scanning every inch of the tank in search of the cause of all the thoughts in her tormented mind. The Watery would surely manifest itself while she was there, it was a certain. But when it would choose to do so, she didn't know. Her concentration broke the instant Yamazaki and Chiharu popped up in front of her.

"What are you two doing? What could possibly be so interesting about this one tank?" asked Chiharu, who hadn't taken the time to notice that something was wrong.

Yamazaki, though, seemed to have realized that Sakura wasn't in her ordinary state. He himself gazed at the tank before giving her a slightly concerned look, saying,

"Sakura-chan, are you all right?"

It was then that it happened. At first, Sakura didn't spot it correctly, but when the whirlpool began to take bigger proportions, it was then that she knew, and that it was the momen to act.

Wondering how she was going to make her move amongst the crowd, especially with her friends nearby, she wished that she the Time card with her, which had proven itself as an uncontestable help in many situations. So she did the only reasonable thing. She took off towards the stair case leading to the top of the tank, no longer caring how many people she pushed on her way there, only thinking of the way to use her magic in such conditions.

"Sakura!" cried out Tomoyo, who instantly took off after her, yelling to Chiharu and Yamazaki to go fetch help.

The two agreed and ran in the opposite direction.

'At least it'll stall them for a while. It'll give Sakura more time to seal the card.' she thought.

As Tomoyo began her ascencion of the stairs, she noticed something that could prove itself to be a great help in the their current predicament. If anyone saw her, then she would have to face the nessesary consequences. She dashed to the wall and pulled the fire alarm lever, as a deafening sound rang out through the rooms of the aquarium. People ceased their current activites and began to rush out in a panic, wondering where there was a fire, and how they were going to get out in time. As the crowd filed out of the room, Tomoyo smirked and proceeded up the stair case yet again.

Sakura, on top of the stairs, pacing on the platform above the tank, was in a difficult situation. She knew it was Tomoyo who'd pulled the alarm, buying her some precious time, but it was a whole different problem that imposed itself now. The card, being smart as it was, remained swirling in the darkening depths of the water, awaiting an unfortunate soul who would dare plunge into it's deadly trap.

She had two options. The first was to dive into the water, and attempt overthrowing the card with her power. If she did this, she would be entering the card's domain, and in that case, there were slim chances of survival. It would be a rather foolish idea. Her other option was to attempt to coax the card out of the tank, to then face it. A far better idea, yet there was something telling her that the Watery wouldn't let itself be trapped so easily. Pondering on her choices, it was finally fate that decided on her course of action.

As she continued to pace across the platform, she heard frantic footsteps growing closer by the second, and she spun around, ready to face the newcomer. Thinking that it was Tomoyo, she was utterly surprised by the identity of the person before her.

"Onii-chan?!" she cried out.

Toya was indeed standing at the edge of the stairs, panting and staring straight into Sakura's eyes, as if all the answers were written there.

"Sakura, you idiot! What are you doing here? There's a fire, get out!" her cried out.

Sakura didn;t know what to say. Telling him the truth was certainly not a good idea, but telling him that she refused to leave wasn't very good either. Seeing her lack of response to his accusations, Toya stepped forward towards her, and made an attempt to grab her, whilst saying,

"Come on Sakura, you're getting out of here, whether you want to or not!"

Sakura didn't particularly want to be dragged out forcefully by her brother, so she swiftly got out of his way as he approached her. What she hadn't thought of, was the fact that she had been standing on the edge of the platform, so naturally, when Toya didn't have anything in his way to stop him, he stepped over the edge and fell towards the waters below, into the trap laid out by the crafty work of the Watery. As she watched Toya hit the water, she finally realized what had happened, and she cried out in desperation and fear,

"TOYA!!"

When she saw that he didn't immerge from the bubbling waters, Sakura fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face, sobbing uncontrolablely. She then knew she had no choice. It was just like when she had accomplished the spell to return to this renewed life along with Tomoyo, Syaoran and Eriol. It was a question of life or death, and most of all, it concerned her brother. So she took the only option now left; she jumped.

When she broke the surface, the first thing Sakura felt was the force of the underwater currents, dragging her deeper into the water, farther from the surface, closer to death. She followed it, knowing that it was the Watery's doing, trying to accomplish the deed that Fly and Shadow had failed to complete, which was none other than killing her. She swam to the very bottom of the tank, nothing in her way, as if being invited into death's welcoming arms. Truth be told, she was scared. Terrified to be exact. She knew that going back up would prove itself far more difficult than sinking down. If Toya died, it would be all her fault. If she did, then the Clow Cards would find themselves without a master, and the alternate past they were all living in would no longer be able to fulfill its purpose. Perhaps the spell would backfire, though nothing was certain. It motivated Sakura to keep on going, to try her best in succeeding, no matter the price.

At long last, she spotted Toya, floating near the bottom of the tank, surrounded by tropical fish, unconcious. Sakura kicked her legs and wagged her arms about, trying to reach her brother faster. Once she had him in her hold, she knew the hardest part was yet to come. She had to get back up there fast, or either she or Toya would drown. Looking upwards, she gave the surface a determined look, ready to attempt whatever could be done.

She kicked her legs hard and fast, and gently proceeded upwards, Toya in tow right behind her, she holding on to his arm. But her freedom from the waters didn't last long. As she reached half-way, strong underwater currents broke out all around her, pulling her forcefully towards the bottom once more. Sakura fought, she kicked and flailed, trying to defeat the strength of the card. Yet deep down, she knew that she was fighting a losing battle. A mere human had no chance against the raw forces of nature.

As she continued her attempts to reach the surface, upon seeing that she was failing to move upwards, Sakura felt a true, deep fear claw at her insidess. If she failed, would Toya die? Most certainly. He was knocked out, unable to move by himself. He would drown if left alone. Would she herself die? Perhaps, only time could tell. If she couldn't reach the surface, she would surely die. All ready, she was running out of air, such a precious thing, she now realized.

The Watery, as if it sensed Sakura's weakening aura, intensified it's currents, dragging her even further into the depths. And all of a sudden, without a warning, the air within her lungs had run out, and she began choking, her body desperately searching for the air it couldn't obtain. Darkness began to settle into her vision, and inwardly, she screamed,

"No! Not now! I can't give up!"

Yet there was no fighting it. Soon, she could barely see, and her limbs began to cease their movements all together. As she began to float, choking and feeling herself fade away, she looked down to Toya, who began to float away from her, as he hand no longer contained the strength to hold on to him. She could have almost cried, had she been able to. She thought her last words in her mind before blacking out completely,

'I'm sorry Toya... I love you...'

_15 minutes later..._

Sakura stirred, the first feeling she experienced being a slight pressure upon her chest, making it rather difficult to breath. She forced her eyes open, finally allowing her emerald eyes to take in her surroundings. The first thing she saw was Tomoyo's worried expression, staring down at her. When Tomoyo saw her awake, she cried out in relief.

"Sakura, thank Kami! I thought..." she trailed off.

Sakura smiled slightly and sat up, trying to shake off her sleepiness. And suddenly, she grabbed Tomoyo's arm and pulled her down to eye level.

"Toya! Where is he?!" she cried.

"Calm down Sakura, he's fine!" Tomoyo replied, attempting to reassure her.

Sakura got up, and indeed saw Toya, breathing steadily. She ran to him and cradled his head in her lap.

"Onii-chan..." she whispered, on the verge of tears.

That was when she remembered her impossible situation underwater the last time she'd been concious. Tomoyo, who must have guessed why her friend had suddenly gone stiff.

"Since I remembered how you caputred Watery the last time, I took the liberty of fetching some dry ice from the storage room, since everyone is still outside. When I dumped some in, I suppose the card was surprised and it suddenly shot water up, sending you right out fo the tank. I was worried you'd been burned or hurt, but apparently not. I'm so glad!" said Tomoyo.

Sakura's face brightened up.

"Tomoyo, that's amazing! I'd have never thought of it! Is there any left?" she asked.

"Of course." replied Tomoyo.

So, taking one last worried glance at Toya, she pulled out the Windy, and threw into the air, the richly decorated seal of Clow appearing beneath her,

"Let this burning ice be lifted and dropped upon the water, WINDY!

The docile wind card swooped out and with the force of it's gusts, easily lifted the dry ice and dumped the contents of the bags within the tank. Sakura knew that most unfortunately, the fish inside would have to be sacrificed, and the thought pained her, even if it was only fish. But it had to be done. The water beneath instantly froze, the Watery having no chance of escaping the new attack. Seizing her chance, Sakura twirled her staff and yelled out,

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!"

The card formed before her, and in a swirl of power and magic, she had in her hands a crimson card, with the inscription 'The Watery' displayed on the front. Sakura couldn't help but smile and cry out,

"I did it!"

_That evening..._

In the end, Toya had roused from his sleep a few minutes later, and Terada had dismissed Sakura, so she could help her brother return home safely. Toya didn't question her, though she had a feeling that he was highly tempted to.

Sakura entered her bedroom, and was greeted by Kero-chan's face right on the spot.

"Are you all right Sakura?" he asked.

"I'm all right, I caught the Watery, and got one more obstacle out of our way!" she replied happily.

Kero-chan frowned.

"I wasn't only talking about your encounter with the Watery."

Sakura then remembered her outbreak the night before, how she had cried out all the tears in her body. She herself frowned, her heart feeling heavy when she thought about Syaoran. She sighed and said,

"Yes, I'm all right Kero-chan. I promise."

With that, Sakura grabbed the small sun guardian, and hugged him close to her heart, as she slumped down onto her bed and slowly but surely, fell asleep. Kero-chan smiled to himself and cuddled closer to his mistress, seeking to comfort her aching heart, as he knew she wasn't as fine as she pretended to be.

"Poor Sakura. I hope the brat will hurry up and get here, so I can finally see you smile for real..."

**So, what do you think? I hope my work paid off, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I had a great time writing it! This place is lacking in continuation fics, and I just had write one! If you have any recommendations for cards I should use, do ask away! **

**Next chapter:**

**Illusion**

**P.S – For those who are going to ask, SxS will happen, but in due time!**


	5. Wishful Thinking

All right, so this is what I've managed to write so far for the next chapter

**Disclaimer: I quite unfortunately don't own CCS, all the credit goes to the amazing ladies of Clamp...**

**Well, I finally managed to post the next chapter! I'm so glad I did, since I was starting to think that I'd never get this story back on track, but I did! **

**That's why I'm giving a huge and hearty thanks to **_**Cheeseycraziness **_**for her awesome work as a beta for this fic. Without you, I don't think I'd have managed to get this done! -**

**So, without further ado, here's the next chapter (finally!):**

**Chapter 4: Wishful Thinking**

The autumn wind blew in swirls of color as the falling leaves fell to the ground in its wake. Sakura marveled at this display of the change of season, while following the street that led her to school. This morning, Toya and Yukito weren't going to their university, having the obligation of finding a job. This left Sakura on her own to walk to school, all alone to contemplate the Clow Cards that lay in her hands. Her gaze searched the street for any passersby, and upon seeing none, she quickly jumped into an alley on the side. About her floated seven Clow Cards, each glowing with an ethereal light.

As Sakura proceeded to school by her secret route, she studied each card, recalling her adventures in retrieving them. The Fly, Shadow, and Watery cards had caused her enough trouble, and twice she'd ended up getting hurt enough to knock her out. The remaining three cards, The Wood, Rain and Jump, had been difficult enough, but she'd avoided getting herself into a compromising situation. To think that those three cards had popped up on the same day, at the same time. Sakura thought back to the incident that had occurred only two weeks ago...

_As The Wood entangled around her house, Sakura was being chased by the Rain, which was having a dandy time of filling her basement with water. Once the water level had reached her waist, Sakura found herself unable to continue running from the Rain, thus resulting in a cascade of water drowning her, as she was unable to breathe underneath the immensity of the water she was being buried in. Just then, Wood, swooped down from the ceiling and attempted to wind about her, choking her in its hold. _

_With the last bit of freedom she had, Sakura pulled out the Watery and struck the tip of her wand upon the card. She tried her best to chant beneath the waters,"Water, come to my aid, become the binding chain! Watery!"_

_With that, the Watery encircled Rain and Wood, dragging them both off of Sakura, giving her the time to cry,_

"_Return to the guises you were meant to be in, Clow Cards!" _

_Within the minute, Sakura had in her hand two new Clow Cards, and she gleefully watched the two demons who had taken possession of the cards disappear to wisps of air. Tomoyo, who stood in the background, was about to congratulate her along with Kero-chan, but a rumbling sound outside caught their attention. _

_The three burst through the door, only to find the Jump towering high above the ground, destroying all in its path. Sakura rapidly pulled out the Fly and chanted,"May these wings rise me to where my enemy stands, Fly!"_

_Up on her staff, she was chased about by the gigantic bunny, until she twisted around to find herself swatted right off her staff. In panic, she grabbed at the staff as its wings disappeared and she quickly summoned the Windy, which wove itself about the Jump, and thus Sakura had been able to capture it. Luckily, she managed to land in a tree, but not without breaking her wrist in the process..._

Looking at those three cards, then back at her bandaged wrist, Sakura sighed. Owning 7 Clow Cards gave her more strength, and she hoped that this strength would only help her protect her loved ones more efficiently than she did now.

Sakura soon saw Seijuu High School up ahead, and broke into a sprint, hoping to catch her friends before the bell rang. When she passed the gate, she was instantly greeted by Tomoyo, who gleefully brandished her camera, filming Sakura as she waved to her.

"Good morning Sakura! I hope you slept well last night." Tomoyo greeted.

"Good morning to you too Tomoyo. I did sleep well last night, but why do you ask?"

Tomoyo giggled softly, and gave Sakura a full smile.

"Must I have a reason to worry for my friend's welfare?"

Sakura chose not to respond to the comment, as she was happily greeted by Chiharu, who gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her so they could be face to face.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" she greeted enthusiastically.

Sakura smiled back at Chiharu, and responded,

"Good morning, Chiharu-chan!", then, looking around behind Chiharu, asked,

"Say, Chiharu-chan, where's Yamazaki-kun?"

Chiharu looked back at Sakura with a rather confused expression.

"Well, he should be here by now, it's rather odd..."

Chiharu began looking around, obviously annoyed at her boyfriend's sudden disappearance. Her hands on her hips, she sighed, Sakura and Tomoyo watching her intently.

"Knowing him, he'll show up right when we don't expect it, which should be right about..."

"GOOD MORNING!!" yelled out a voice right above Sakura's shoulder.

She yelped in surprise, resulting in her hand bumping into Yamazaki's side. White hot pain shot through her wrist, and she noticeably winced, trying not to clutch her aching hand. Chiharu who noticed this, abruptly grabbed Yamazaki's ear, yelling,

"Look at what you did! You hurt Sakura-chan!"

Sakura tried to stop her, but knew that whatever she said wouldn't halt Chiharu's actions. Sighing, she turned to Tomoyo, who studied her in mild concern.

"Are you all right Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, assuring her friend that there was nothing to worry about. Just then, Naoko was seen walking through the gate, waving towards them joyfully. Just as she walked up to them, the bell rang, calling them to their homeroom. Naoko's grin faltered slightly and as she passed by, yet she called them over with another wave of her hand.

"Good morning, Naoko-chan!" greeted Sakura, Chiharu and Tomoyo, suprisingly quite simultaneously.

Yamazaki popped up behind the girls, grinning widely, greeting,

"Good morning, Naoko-san!"

After Naoko's return greeting, she snapped her fingers and her eyes suddenly glistened with a new found passion. Upon seeing this, Sakura inwardly groaned.

'If Naoko-chan has that face, it can only mean one thing...'

"I found a ghost! I'm absolutely sure of it!"

Indeed, Sakura's inner fears were revealed to be true. Even though her few years of struggle with demons had flushed her fears of spirits and occult entities, she still remained slightly uncomfortable when the subjects of ghosts came up, usually courtesy of Naoko.

As the courtyard emptied itself, Chiharu looked towards the door with a significant pout on her face.

"Darn, we have to get to get to class before Terada-sensei arrives in the classroom. I think you'll have to tell us more about it at lunch this afternoon, Naoko-chan!"

As they began walking with ease towards their homeroom class, climbing up a flight of stairs along the way, Yamazaki let out a sly remark that caught their attention.

"Apparently, because of an extremely important meeting, we'll be off of school by lunch time. The teachers have been talking about it to a good number of students."

Chiharu gave him a skeptic look, as if questioning his reliability.

"Chiharu-chan, you should know I wouldn't lie about something like this..."

Chiharu gave a long sigh, accepting his explanation, which surprised Sakura greatly, and, considering the look on her friends' faces, it had surprised them as well.

They at long last filed into the homeroom class, sitting down in their seats, waiting for Yoshiyuki Terada-sensei to come into the class to announce the daily schedule. Sakura contemplated the classroom, filled with her fellow students and friends. Somehow, they had gotten the same seating arrangements they'd had in elementary school, with Sakura seated by the window, Tomoyo to her right, and as she looked behind her, her heart filled with a surge of sadness while she gazed at the desperately empty seat that was normally occupied by her number one person, the one she so dearly missed. Tomoyo, being the uncannily observing person that she was, sadly contemplated Sakura's expression, her enticingly beautiful emerald gaze filled with a hidden, deep pain. She gently grasped her friend's shoulder, feeling her own heart fall at the sight Sakura offered.

"Sakura, you know what I mean when I say that is never fares well to dwell upon the past..." she whispered into Sakura's ear.

Sakura's eyes widened, and her mouth broke into an unexpected smile, instantly feeling slightly better at her friend's encouraging words. She looked to Tomoyo, who gave her a radiant smile, filled with warmth and kindness. A small fraction of the heaviness in Sakura's heart faded to nothingness as Terada-sensei came through the door.

He indeed explained that their lessons would be interrupted starting from lunch, and from then on they could do as they pleased. Sakura was even let off of her cheerleading practice, since apparently the club's coach was also involved in whatever meeting the teachers had planned. The morning went by without much interest, and soon enough, the five girls and Yamazaki were all standing beyond the gates of Seijuu, impatiently waiting for Naoko to reveal her newest discovery, though Sakura was a bit apprehensive. As the rest of the students filed out, Chiharu nudged Naoko gently,

"Hey, Naoko-chan, tell us about your ghost, we're all getting older while waiting for you to start!"

Naoko giggled at Chiharu's impatience, and began her story, the others listening intently.

"Well, it happened just last night while I was heading home from piano..."

_Naoko walked leisurely down the path of Penguin Park, contemplating the different colors of red, orange and yellow that streaked the sky as the sun set over the horizon. Humming to herself, she thought about her latest piano lesson, during which her instructor had openly congratulated her on her performance. She was proud of her progress, and she was even happier, seeing her parents had bought her a wonderful book as a reward for her efforts._

"_I feel so happy, I could skip about like a little girl!" she said out loud._

_At that moment, she heard a rustle in the bushes bordering the path, and she abruptly halted, curious at what was hidden behind it. She thought back to her book that her parents had bought her, where a terrifying ghost had slaughtered a little girl, its face covered in blood, a ghastly white. Naoko then eyed the bushes with a certain apprehension, not quite sure of what she was going to find there. Silently approaching the source of the noise, she was about to touch the bushes, when the rustling ceased._

"_What...?" she wondered aloud._

_In one swift movement, the entity of a pale white, covered with deep red blood rose out of the bushes, holding a head in its right hand. Seeing the horrified expression beheld by the small head that was laid before her, Naoko held back a scream. She lost it when the ghost spoke without a word, though she quite clearly read its lips:_

"_You're next..."_

By this time, Sakura had taken refuge behind Tomoyo, and Chiharu was nervously clinging to Yamazaki's arm, in search of some comfort from the one she loved. Rika still stared at Naoko, clearly thrilled by the story.

"It scared me half to death, but I'm sure of what I saw!" Naoko concluded.

Since no one spoke after that, she swiftly turned around and began making her way across the street.

"Naoko-chan, where're you going?" called out Sakura.

"I'm heading back to Penguin Park to show you all! Come on!" she replied.

Rika started after her, and Yamazaki dragged along a still nervous Chiharu, while Tomoyo nearly hauled Sakura behind her. Though Sakura was somewhat scared, she couldn't help but think that the whole ordeal was rather familiar. Now where had she heard this before...?

"I just hope it won't jump out at us all at once..."Chiharu frightfully said to Yamazaki.

He chuckled slightly and embraced her when Naoko pulled them to a full stop.

"It's here!" she stated simply.

As if her statement had been an order, the bushes began to move and shake violently. Somehow, each person pictured something different being in the bushes, and Tomoyo felt her stomach grumble at the climax of the moment.

"Darn, I'd like a nice, warm, pork bun..."

As suddenly as Tomoyo had spoken, the thing in question shot out of the bushes, standing now to the right of the green plants. Naoko screamed in pure terror, with one word on her lips: "GHOST!"

Rika gasped and took a step further back, mumbling something along the lines of,"Mummy, zombie..."

Both Yamazaki and Chiharu scrambled away, pointing and yelling, "It's got three eyes!"

"And four legs!"

"It's got an ax!"

Tomoyo stayed put, contemplating the thing in confusion.

"A giant pork bun? How odd..."

Sakura was the only one who gasped, taking a few daring steps forward, not daring to believe the sight her eyes held before her. Her expression spoke of joy and confusion, shock even at the sight before her eyes. While her friends watched her dangerously approach what they perceived as a ghost, and in Tomoyo's case, a pork bun, they heard her utter one word that stumped them all,

"Syaoran..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

She ran. She blindly ran, tears blurring her vision, as far as her tired legs would carry her. She desperately wanted to distance herself from the sight that had been bestowed upon her, the one that so deeply split her heart in two.

When Sakura had first laid her eyes on Syaoran, her heart had started beating at the ecstatic tempo it always did when she was in his presence, the empty hole deep within her soul slowly filling itself, drinking in the happiness that she felt upon seeing him.

Then it had come. In her mind, the image of his horrible and bloody death had surfaced, breaking apart whatever joy she'd felt. Syaoran's murder replayed in her mind countless times, each time breaking her even more, sending rivers of tears to her emerald eyes as she felt her lungs constrict in grief.

"It was my fault, all mine..." she whispered, out of breath, after having ran for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes.

At long last, Sakura collapsed from exhaustion, her legs and feet numb from running, her mind clouded from crying, her heart too pained from the mere sight of her love. She lay upon the ground, beside a tall tree, deep within the woods bordering Penguin Park. She couldn't tell for how long she'd ran, though her tormented mind felt as if hours had passed by, and all she seeked was release from the pain, the pain of Syaoran's death replaying again and again.

She knew why he'd died the way he had, and she was convinced that she was at fault, one way or another. She'd seen Syaoran throw himself before her, acting like a human shield, saving her from the deadly blow the demon should have bestowed upon her. Had she been more attentive, Syaoran wouldn't have died.

The tears now flowed in never-ending streams, Sakura's soft sobbing echoing through the newly born night, it being the only sound that dared disturb the tranquility of the rising moon. Pain and love at the same time, forming a deep ache within her very soul, one part of her yearning to see him once more, the other afraid of seeing him, afraid of the hurt it would cause her. Sakura's tired form succumbed to the growing darkness, and as she fell into the void of sleep, her broken voice whispered to the sky,

"I'm sorry Syaoran..."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Walking along the concrete path winding about Penguin Park, concern and worry burning within her deep lavender eyes, Tomoyo scanned the area, Kero floating nervously by her shoulder. Sakura had so suddenly run off at the sight of whatever she had seen, that Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko, and Rika had all remained rooted to the spot in surprise and shock. They'd all been worried at first, wondering what could possibly cause Sakura to take off at such a speed, and without further notice. Tomoyo, having been too far away at the time, hadn't heard Sakura's soft whisper, and was rather surprised when she'd found out. She recalled the conversation she'd had with the lot of them before Tomoyo told them all to go home, and let her go and speak to Sakura herself:

**Flashback:**

_Chiharu nervously clung to Yamazaki's arm, still troubled even if the entity had disappeared, and unnerved by Sakura's sudden break away. Naoko was the first to speak on behalf of the recently run away Sakura, her tone of voice mysteriously strained._

"_Did you all hear what Sakura-chan said?" Naoko asked, unsure. They all nodded, except for Tomoyo, who then replied rather worriedly,_

"_I'm afraid I didn't. What did Sakura say?" They all looked at each other before Naoko resumed with yet another question,_

"_What's a Syaoran?" Tomoyo's eyes widened at that, and she couldn't restrain herself from gasping, realization dawning upon her at last. How could she have been so silly?_

"_Sakura said 'Syaoran'?!" Tomoyo managed to ask. The rest of them nodded, clearly wondering how awful such a thing could be to make Sakura run off on such a short notice._

"_Please everyone, I'll go look for her myself. Don't come with me, as it might trouble her of too many people start questioning her. I promise to call you when I find her." The four of them stared at Tomoyo, obviously reluctant about letting her set out on her own to find the missing Sakura, but each of them knew that Tomoyo's idea was by far the wisest. The four agreed, though quite reluctantly._

After she'd set out, Tomoyo had instantly called Kero, fully aware of what it was that Sakura had seen. When the small guardian beast had arrived at Penguin Park, Tomoyo had uttered to words that scared the living daylights out of him,

"The Illusion Card." Tomoyo told him with conviction. Instantly, Kero had understood, even without Tomoyo's details, though she told him nevertheless. Together they set out, Kero allowing Sakura's magical aura to guide them.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Sakura awoke from her dreamless sleep, as a wonderful scent filled her nostrils. She greedily inhaled the sweet aroma of autumn and old books that she so dearly missed.

"Syaoran..." she murmured in her half-asleep state, whimpering softly when the scent left her, as if taking away a part of her very being. Sakura opened her eyes, sitting up, inspecting her immediate surroundings. At first, she was puzzled at finding herself sprawled in the middle of the woods, her blue school uniform smeared with the dirt that littered the ground. Then, in a split second, everything rushed back to her, and the ache returned, lodging itself deep within her, just as it had before. As she felt the tears return, she raised herself and looked behind her, and the sight that greeted her made her gasp as she stumbled to retreat a few steps away.

Before her stood Syaoran Li, dressed as he'd been during their demon siege, slightly leaning on his majestic sword, his amber eyes boring into her emerald ones.

Sakura could hardly think, her mind in a complete haze, confused, hurt and over-joyed at the same time by such a bold vision, the one of the person she so dearly loved. Upon watching him, simply staring at her intently, not even moving or speaking to her, Sakura began to feel an untamed need build in her chest. The need to embrace him, to hold him close, to feel herself in his arms again, the need to do _something_ before he disappeared, like he had last time. She no longer wanted Syaoran to slip away from her. She let the phrase of uncontestable truth replay in her mind, the one truth she'd realized so long ago,

'I need him...' she thought, her eyes beginning to fill with tears as she walked forward, without uttering a word, her arms wide open, as the lone figure of Syaoran stood up straight and seemed to welcome her into his embrace. When at long last reached the warm cocoon of his arms, she sighed in obvious content.

In the spit second afterwards, she knew something was wrong. The embrace, though it seemed real enough, didn't feel right. It had nothing to do with her, she was sure, yet something was slightly off with Syaoran. At long last she broke the embrace, and for some odd reason, look down. Her school uniform's blouse was drenched in deep scarlet blood. _Her _blood. When she looked at the figure before her, she saw that the mighty sword he held firmly in his hand was also dirtied by the scarlet river that left her abdomen.

He'd stabbed her. Sakura, while seeking his embrace, had literally impaled herself upon the blade. Yet this Syaoran didn't seem the least bit distressed by her condition. In fact, she could distinctly see the crooked smirk that had plastered itself onto his face. In her mind, she recalled every single time Syaoran had ever worried about her, doted over her, and once more his brutal death replayed before her eyes. He'd died to save her. So why was he trying to kill her now?

The sudden question brought back another memory, from long ago. One where she'd been duped by an illusion of her mother, Nadeshiko, and had almost died as a result, by falling off a cliff. It was then that she realized that the entity that stood before her, the one that had stabbed her, was not Syaoran Li. Within the moment, Sakura collapsed to her knees, weakly grabbing for the key beneath her blouse, pulling it out and chanting softly,

"The key which holds the powers of the dark, reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract. RELEASE!" The elegant staff with a bird's head came to be, as Sakura called out,

"Reveal yourself Illusion Card!" The smirking clone of Syaoran suddenly looked at her with widened eyes before adorning a wicked glare and at long last transforming into a shape, colored by an intricate pattern.

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!" she called out weakly, and as the card returned to its true form, Sakura collapsed completely, not even bothering to inspect her wound, only whispering to the night,

"I love you Syaoran. No matter what. I know that illusion wasn't you, but please, forgive for mistaking you for that awful thing. I'm sorry..." And Sakura fell into the darkness that seemed so welcoming to her hurt and broken mind.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_Two weeks later..._

Kero sat on the desk, watching his beloved mistress sleep soundly, slowly recovering from what should have been a fatal injury. He easily recalled the awful fear he'd experienced when Tomoyo and himself had found the poor girl, knocked out, surrounded by a puddle of her own blood, the Illusion Card lying not far from there. Tomoyo had almost lost all reason then and there, utterly horrified by the state Sakura was in. The sorceress had been quickly rushed to the hospital, where the medical staff had immediately taken her in and had made sure she would go through a good and easy recovery.

Kero was aware of what Sakura had seen with the Illusion Card, and hoped that the ordeal wouldn't lead her to fear the Chinese sorcerer he knew she so dearly loved. The guardian beast slowly floated to Sakura's pillow, cuddling against her peaceful and sleeping form. Within the week she would be allowed to return to school, as her magical abilities had enabled her a much faster recovery. Her entire family and the doctors taking care of her were speechless at how quickly the young girl had healed from her wound.

The Chinese kid, as Kero called him, was bound to arrive in Tomoeda anytime soon, and Kero prayed to whatever entity could hear him that it would be in the immediate future.

"As much as I hate the kid, I must admit he has a way of comforting Sakura that beats all of our efforts." he whispered to no one in particular. Kero sighed before settling down to fall asleep himself. His mistress was learning about fate the hard way, and all he wanted to do was take all the pain away from her, and place it on himself.

"Anything to make you smile Sakura. Anything..."

**I made Syaoran evil, when I promised myself I'd never make that awful mistake of OOCness!! But I guess I'll call this an exception to the case since it wasn't Syaoran, it was the Illusion Card...**

**I might start replying to reviews here, or at the start of the story. I think it's a nice way of communicating!**

**Next chapter is going to deal with the Thunder Card, so you lot all know what that means! **

**Remember, reviews are appreciated (please! )!**


	6. Foreboding Force

**Disclaimer: As usual, 'Card Captor Sakura' doesn't belong to me in anyway, it belongs to the four genius women of CLAMP.**

_A/N: So... where should I start? It's been a little over a year since I've last updated, and I'm very sorry for taking such a long time! I had lot's of problems with my computer and it was lying around in the shop for about 8 months, and by the time I got it back, life just got that much more important since I had so many things to take care of with so little free time. That pretty much partly explains why this chapter took so long to come out. That, and the fact that I decided to make the chapter extra long so as to compensate for the lack of updates, so I hope that it will a satisfying chapter for you all!_

_Personally, I had lots of fun with this chapter since I got to delve into Sakura's thoughts very often, considering a great deal of the chapter is in her point of view. After that, my next guilty pleasure was giving Syaoran a word in this at last, and getting to really use his character fully to make up for his long absence!_

_Like always, I'd like to thank my beta, CheeseyCraziness for throwing ideas at me and helping the plot move along smoothly!_

_On a side note, I've decided to respond to any reviews at the start of each chapter, so hopefully I've gotten to everyone and responded fully. _

**Responses to reviews for 'Past Resurrection' (Ch. 4)**

**CheeseyCraziness - **Indeed the Thunder Card! I hope it was emotional enough a chapter, I really did try! ^.^

**SilentCynara - **No, I didn't fall to the temptation to use SxS before I was supposed to! It would have completely defeated the point of the story anyway! I'm glad that you consider this to be good, and I hope the SxS reunion is as good as it should be, though it's true that Sakura seems to be getting closer and closer to getting killed each time... XD

**XxlaLunaxX - **Thank you! I was missing Syaoran too, so I had a blast writing in his POV!

**Azure-x-Roze - **Thank you too, I'm glad you like it, and I think I originally thought this plot up because I was sick of all the bad stories that were popping up for CCS, and I wanted to write something drastically different.

**Emerald Divinity - **I hope this chapter will confirm your opinion!

**hikariclowreed - **Glad you like it, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

**Twilight Kisses - **Once again, I'm glad that you find the story interesting, and hopefully this chapter is long enough to satisfy you (and everyone else for that matter!)

**WezL - **I see, you discovered it on CheeseyCraziness's profile... well, it's good to know I've been getting some form of publicity (thanks much for that too I suppose Cheesey!)! I'm honestly flattered that you really like this story, and I'm hoping that this chapter will somehow compensate for the long hiatus, so do let me know if it was good!

** - **(Once again, I must thank my beta reader for the publicity! XD) Thanks for liking the story, and yes, Syaoran will show up very soon... I don't want to spoil too much, but he's definitely in this chapter, does reunite with Sakura, and he plays a rather important role so I hope you get your dose of the much needed SxS-ness! XD

**CherryandWolflover - **Eek! I'm sorry I couldn't respond to you, what with being so busy at the time and all, but yes, I do intend to finish this story! My computer forced me into hiatus, but I'm most definitely coming back full swing (ish! XD)! I love Sakura and Syaoran aswell, and TRC has only managed to feed the love even more (even if that ending was completely unexpected)! I'm glad you like the story, and I hope you'll like the chapter! (I've been saying that to everyone, haven't I? XD)

**Chapter 5: Foreboding Force**

The dazzling rays of sunlight that shone through Sakura's window on that cold and rather crisp December morning brought the young girl back to awareness, though she remained entirely unaware of what sort of events could possibly take place throughout the day. Sakura blinked sleepily, trying to rid the grogginess from her features, even rubbing her eyes so as to wake herself more effectively. As she slowly and carefully rose from her bed, she spared a glance at her alarm clock. The bright red neon numbers flared at her in the early morning light, as she read the current time. 6:00 A.M. Sakura blinked once more, half believing she was being deceived by her eyes that quite obviously still needed sleep. Yet despite her constant rubbing of her eyes, the time on that clock never changed, proving that it indeed _was _6 o'clock in the morning.

In any other circumstances, perhaps Sakura would have thought nothing of it. But, considering three rather important factors in her life at the moment, she found that the occasion of waking up at such an early hour was a rather serious issue, the first and foremost factor influencing her train of thought, naturally being her usual tardiness when it came to waking up in the morning. And, then again, she could have stayed at that, and considered today as one of her particularly lucky days. But then, there was the fact that only a month beforehand, she'd lived through a rather traumatic experience, that had resulted in the revival of several painful memories, and a rather serious wound to the abdomen. An experience she wasn't all that eager to live through again. After all, Sakura's return to school had only been but one week ago, and she was still in a recovery stage. She was forbidden to undertake any sort of physically demanding activity, and even if walking about was no longer a problem, Sakura was still tired from her recovery, and so, logically speaking, she should be waking up even later than usual.

The third factor that lead her to her ultimate conclusion directly concerned the cards and all the magic that was involved with them. Sakura had, quite unfortunately, noticed that she'd been having reoccurring dreams ever since her less-than-friendly encounter with the Illusion card. She could never quite pinpoint what exactly the dream was attempting to show her, nor when or where whatever it was would happen. All she was explicitly sure of was that the event to come seemed to be rather dramatic, involving quite a large amount of blood and tears. That, and the fact that, while she stared into the blurring red surroundings of her dream, she would always perceive a presence nearby. Not a hostile one, but a calming, gentle one. A loving one. And for some reason - though she suspected it was somehow related to the Illusion incident - Sakura had the nagging feeling that the one she perceived in her dream couldn't possibly be anyone else _but _Syaoran. She was certain that the last time she'd felt so unbelievably safe despite a chaotic environment was when she'd been with him, back then. Back during the original time.

All of these factors, brought together into one great big reason, were what lead Sakura to believe that what should have been an ordinary day in the month of December, was in fact, something far greater, far more important. Something that so skillfully hid beneath the facade of her daily routine, right there, beneath the surface, waiting dutifully in the shadows for its time to act. Sakura knew that she'd have to be even more cautious than usual today, though how she could possibly be more aware of her surroundings, she did not know, what with her nasty habit of constantly looking over own shoulder, should one of the demonic Clow Cards decide to manifest itself. It went to the extent that even Chiharu, who wasn't the least bit aware of her predicament, had noticed, and made the comment during lunch only a few days prior. And even though Sakura knew she should restrain from such 'strange' behavior in front of her friends, her constant awareness still managed to pay off: last example in date being the Silent card which had oh-so-conviently decided to loge itself in the school's library last Tuesday. Thank goodness the said card hadn't been extremely difficult to capture, seeing as it had rarely moved from its book on the farthest shelf from the entrance. Sakura recalled that Tomoyo herself had seemed surprised at the lack of difficulty involved in its capture, and had noted that it strongly resembled what should have been the capture of a normal Clow Card, and not the demonic ones that were on the loose all over Tomoeda.

"Sakura? How come you're up already? Normally you sleep until at least 6:45."

Sakura almost gasped at the sudden noise that sliced through the early morning silence, but managed to catch the sound before it escaped her throat. She turned around slowly to gaze at Kero, who was floating about her desk, staring at her questioningly. Quite obviously, she hadn't been the only one surprised by her early bird attitude.

"It's nothing Kero-chan! I just felt like getting up a bit earlier today, that's all!" Apparently, her small yellow guardian wasn't buying her obvious white lie.

Sakura inwardly sighed. She knew quite well that she was an awful liar, and yet, she had no other choice _but _to lie, whether it was blatantly obvious or not. She wasn't about to tell Kero the truth behind her suspicions, now was she? It wouldn't be a good idea to worry Kero over such things, especially considering the fact that she wasn't even sure of the authenticity of her thoughts. And so, she rose from her covers, careful to not damage her bandages that she had to change tonight once again, and proceeded with getting dressed, and ready for school, which she quite astoundingly accomplished in record time. So quickly, in fact, that by the time she was finished and ready to go downstairs, it was only 6:45. The time, as Kero had pointed out, at which she normally would be getting up with the combined efforts of Toya and Kero, though the former was completely unaware of the latter's presence, or at least, that was what Sakura liked to think, as she wasn't so certain of that anymore.

Softly, so as not wake anyone who was still asleep, Sakura trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she caught sight of Toya mumbling to himself while making breakfast for himself and her. Their father, Fujitaka, had been forced to stay overnight at the university due to lack of competent staff for a certain ongoing project.

Needless to say, when Toya whipped around and saw Sakura trudging softly towards the dining room table, he could hardly contain his surprise, and made sure to manifest it accordingly.

"Kaijuu, how come you're up?!", he glanced at the clock behind him, "At 6:47? My goodness, then today its going to be raining money, or something exceptional like that! I'll have to tell Yuki about it, something this rare has to be..." he trailed off, as he started to rub his head, with a mock pained expression, where Sakura had made sure to whack him only seconds before with the help of her right slipper. The look she gave him certainly didn't leave any room for doubt: it was rather obvious that he'd done a good job of ticking her off, as usual on his part. Sometimes, it was highly difficult for Sakura to remember that he was only teasing her 'affectionately' as Yukito put it so nicely.

She ate her breakfast in a rush, just like every morning, while Toya watched her with a half questioning, half suspicious look, which she had already decided to pointedly ignore so as to avoid any kind of unwanted remarks on his part, seeing as he was highly skilled in detecting those little things she didn't want to talk about, or at least, not to him. She picked her school bag off the table where she'd left it, and walked over to the entrance way, where she slipped off her slippers and took her time to put on each shoe, lost in her thoughts, while Toya stayed back in the kitchen, watching her from the corner of his eye, obviously wondering whether it was a wise idea to let her leave on her own. Sakura knew he was still very effected by the Illusion incident, and didn't seem to entirely buy her and Tomoyo's version of the accident. Which was why she picked herself up from the floor and yelled an "I'm off!" back at him while opening her front door, and was quick to slam it behind her.

As Sakura walked on towards school at least a half hour too early, she thought about all those things that she'd seen as a sign after waking up earlier. She was certain that today would behold some sort of change, and it irritated her to no end that she knew nothing of the events to come. Today, on this Friday, she would keep her eyes open, as well as her ears, since she would be the only one in on her suspicions. She wouldn't even allow herself to tell Tomoyo about this. Just like Kero, she couldn't afford her best friend to worry over something that remained completely abstract and unidentified, even in her mind. She just couldn't allow it.

It was with this firm intention that Sakura, after having walked the slightly long distance that separated her home from the school grounds, stood pointedly before the gates of Seijuu High School, which, to her dismay, had been closed upon her arrival. Apparently, she really _was _tooearly, and not just by her own standards. So, she had no other choice but to stay put in front of the gates, leaning against the small wall located to her right, patiently waiting for someone who _did _have the keys to the school to show up and open the gates for her. Fortunately for Sakura, she hadn't been waiting long before two other people arrived; one of them happened to be the school's 'key keeper', or so to speak, and he seemed to be engaged in great conversation with a student, albeit one that Sakura didn't know. Considering she was only a freshman, the taller, black haired boy must have been a senior that regularly arrived to school early.

'A role model for all the other students, unlike me and my natural tardiness.' Sakura mused with a bit of irony.

The two older men stopped with a start when they caught sight of Sakura and went on to express their great surprise at seeing her there, considering they didn't have the slightest clue of who she was. The older senior student walked up to Sakura, and introduced himself, like any other well-mannered person would have in his place. And yet Sakura, despite her usual lack of ability in the 'detection' department, managed to catch the subtle flirtatious undertone in her senpai's voice. Something she wasn't particularly fond of, firstly, because she found it highly embarrassing, and secondly, because she already had someone to love, and certainly didn't need other men flocking around her like hungry birds in search of their next prey. Not that this 'role model' senpai of hers had reached any sort of behavior close to that.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kiragawa Hikaru, a third year here at Seijuu. You wouldn't happen to be a new student would you? What year are you in, miss?

Sakura could have easily chuckled and the question. Was the event of her getting up earlier than normal really _that _incredible that people began to question whether or not she was a new student? Of course, this Kiragawa Hikaru couldn't possibly know who she was, with him arriving so early, and she, up until yesterday, so very late. Sakura shook her head, unable to hold back a smile, almost laughing at the current situation.

"No senpai, I'm not a new student. I've been here since elementary school, in fact." Kiragawa looked visibly embarrassed by his mistake, since his eyes seemed to find the black concrete ground highly fascinating all of a sudden. "It's be rude of me not to introduce myself when you yourself did so senpai. My name is Kinomoto Sakura, and I'm a first year student."

Kiragawa nodded, showing he'd heard her, and apologized for his misunderstanding. He then mentioned something about a student council commitee meeting he had to attend, and abruptly left her there, in front of the school gates, that were now wide open, awaiting the sea of students that would soon gather at the very spot where she stood. She sighed, thinking of how the meeting with the senpai she'd most likely never see again could have rather easily turned to a complete disaster, had a Clow Card decided to manifest itself at that moment. Thankfully, nothing had happened, but now, she most certainly needed to remain entirely aware, and she hoped that no more unwelcome surprises like that would occur, though she was almost certain that her meeting with Kiragawa was merely a coincidence. Nothing more. She walked in through the gates of the school, watching as Kiragawa, who had seemingly caught up with the 'key keeper', tried to strike up another conversation with the man. Perhaps they were headed in the same direction, or perhaps Kiragawa was lying about his meeting, though Sakura found that she didn't really care about it. It wasn't something that concerned her, and Sakura had never found the need to medle with other people's lives, unlike other people. As she walked on towards the back of the school, while the two men began to walk up a flight of stairs, she failed to hear what it was they were saying. After all, it wasn't her business what they spoke of. It wasn't her business to know that Kiragawa was complaining to the older man, ranting about his mistake,

"I should have known! How could I have mistaken that girl for the new student! And when they told me he was a boy just yesterday! Oh well, the new student is a first year after all, it's not as if I'll be seeing him anytime soon..."

Sakura, in the meantime, had decided to sit down in the grass, and she'd chosen her little 'hidden' place to do so. The place was so secret, in fact, that not even Tomoyo knew of its existance. It was hidden by a tall row of bushes, and was stuck in a corner of the school building, though the place was never dark. It opened onto a patch of clear blue sky that never ceased to amaze her. Whenever she was here, it almost felt like a different world entirely, and at this moment, Sakura couldn't help but feel grateful that Toya had shown her this wonderful little place. He'd showed her only once, and had told her that it had been his own secret place up until the time when he'd started to create bonds with Yukito.

Sakura lay down in the soft green grass and stared up at the clouds that floated by her little hidden patch. And all of a sudden, the drowsiness settled in, and despite her attempts to fight it, Sakura knew that there was no use in denying her body from its desired sleep any longer. Sleeping a bit couldn't hurt, could it? And should a Clow Card attack her, at least no one else would have to get involved, which was a rather reassuring idea. Sakura yawned, while her eyelids drooped and threatened to close all together. Her last coherant thought was the realization, that, once again, apparently, she truly _had _gotten up too early...

††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††

The gates of Seijuu High School were literally crawling with people, all of them students who were rustling and bustling towards their friends and their various occupations, paying no mind to the rest of the student population. The young man sighed and tried his best to keep from rolling his eyes in rather obvious irratation. Apparently, nothing ever changed here, despite all the time that had gone by since his last time in Japan. In fact, it dawned upon him that even an alternative time, which had managed to change some very significant things in his life, couldn't erase what had once been, and always would be. But then again, he shouldn't have been expecting much, so he had no reason to be disappointed. He sighed once more, relishing in thought of the one thing he hoped with all his heart hadn't changed in the least. He didn't even know where to start explaining how much he worshiped and loved the lovely Kinomoto Sakura, and could hardly conceal his anticipation at the thought of finally seeing her again after eight long and torturous months of unwanted absence.

The young man was abruptly pulled from his musings by the shrill ringing of the school bell. It took him by surprise for a moment, as he'd been expecting the familiar ring of Tomoeda's clock tower, but quickly reminded himself that they were only renovating it, having seen and heard about the uncommon occurence as he'd made his way to school that very morning. Yet again, he sighed, as he picked his school bag up from the ground and slung it over his shoulder, making his way towards the school and the class he'd been told he was a part of.

As he strode towards the main building's entrance, following the flow of student who were heading to class, much like himself, he couldn't help but notice all the eyes that seemed to turn to him and examine him with keen and curious eyes. He was even more disgusted to find that those staring openly at him were mostly women, who without a doubt had rather impure intentions in mind by the way they seemed to gaze at him with hungry eyes. Apparently, he'd been wrong in thinking that people would simply ignore him like they did everyone else. He must be sticking out 'like a sore thumb' as some would say. His apathetic and stoic nature naturally seemed to push him away from people, as most individuals managed to profoundly irratate him despite their obvious efforts to please him endlessly. For this reason, he seemed to have a permanent poker face written across his face in an attempt to conceal whatever emotion that might have been given away by his facial expression. Most unfortunately for him, according to none other than Kinomoto Sakura herself - who was in a very good position to say such things -, the poker face was one of things that contributed to his so-called good looks.

Of course, it wasn't as if he didn't like knowing he was particularly good looking. In fact, it could often turn out to be a rather helpful advantage depending on the situation. Though in this case, it only served to make him feel uneasy and a tad bit nervous. After all, being looked at like this meant that people would only try to approach him, and that was most likely the one thing that the young man despised the most about the entire ordeal. He wasn't anything like the highly social and friendly Kinomoto Sakura: he was incapable of socializing correctly with people who weren't included in his close circle of friends, which wasn't all that big. Not that he wasn't glad to have a small amount of close friends; he didn't need to be surrounded by people to feel content.

Speaking of which, he'd finally reached his classroom, seeing as the number matched the one the school's principal had given him earlier that morning. He sighed for the fourth time that morning as he leaned against the wall right outside the classroom as the rest of the students filed in, each of them sending him curious glances, most likely questioning his presence there.

However, he hadn't needed to wait for too long before the teacher showed, and spent the first two seconds of his presence staring at the young man in earnest, obviosuly lost in his thoughts, before he realized that he was, in fact, standing in front of the infamous new transfer student from Hong Kong, China. Upon having had this dawning realization, the teacher recomposed himself while clearing his throat in what could have been perceived as embarassment.

"I'm so sorry young man, though pardon my curiosity when I ask you this: you _are _the Chinese transfer student, are you not?"

Syaoran nodded curtly, as he forced a greeting at the other man,

"There is no need for apology sensei, though I am indeed the transfer student. It's a pleasure to meet you." The last part was rather difficult to say without letting his annoyance trespass into his words. Though the young man greatly respected his elders, teachers had always had the uncanny knack of testing his limits as far as disipline was concerned. It was the only times where the young man loathed all the formalities he was obliged to use when in presence of his elders.

The teacher had then quickly introduced him self as Sakimine Seiichi, and told him to wait silently outside the classroom while he prepared the class. The young man once again nodded, his mind elsewhere than behind those stuffy classroom doors. The teacher had no sooner acknowledged his answer, that he was already disappearing behind the room's sliding door, which left the young man alone once again, with his thoughts. And apparently. whenever his mind allowed itself to wander, his train of thought would always lead him to one person: Kinomoto Sakura. Though thinking about the girl and all aspects relating to her wasn't something unpleasant in the young man's mind. In fact, he cherished the few moments where he could allow his mind to recall her every feature, where he could allow his very soul to drink in the memories of her and their time together. Those times were the only times the young man had truly felt alive during the past eight months, and the moments brought him a solace he could find in no other form of activity or person. His heart almost leaped in anticipation of finally being able to see her after so long. To be able to drink in her beautiful sight, to be able to breath in her intoxicating smell, to be able to hear her melodic voice...

"Excuse me, young sir, could you please come inside?" The voice of the teacher brutally pulled him from his rather pleasant musings, as he found the said teacher looking at him impatiently, obviously wondering why on earth he was stalling so much.

The young man slowly walked into the classroom, his head held high with that significant dignifyed aura about him, that seemed to render every person in the room speechless before such a display of personality. He faintly registered the teacher asking him to introduce himself as he scanned the room in hope of locking his gaze with eyes of an intense emerald green. He restrained himself from pouting in disappointment when he found none. After all, no young man from a background such as the one he had should pout, as it proved to be a an all together inappropriate practice. However, he thought he'd caught of glimpse of equally intense lavender eyes, which he strongly suspected to belong to a certain Daidoji Tomoyo. This knowledge reassured him greatly. When the young man noticed that everyone was still waiting for his introduction, he decided he might as well get on with it: the faster it was done, the faster he'd be sitting in front of a desk with the liberty of letting his thoughts wander. He cleared his throat in a subtle manner before his rich, deep voice resounded through-out the classroom,

"My name is Li Syaoran, and I come from Hong Kong, China. It is a pleasure to meet you."

†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††

When Kinomoto Sakura began to return to her senses, the first thing she noted was the feeling of something tickling her fingers ever-so gently, that made her have the sudden urge to burst into a fit of laughter. The second was the fact that wherever she was seemed to be unusually cold and hard - or at least, compared to her fluffy bed - which lead her to believe that she wasn't in her bedroom at all. Sakura slowly opened her eyes, blearly trying to take in her surroundings. Indeed, she wasn't in her bedroom, nor was she anywhere in her house. Or in anybody's house for that matter, unless people had started building little patches of winter into their households, which seemed highly doubtful, and rather silly. As she raised herself off of the ground, she took note of where she was: a small little patch of green that was surrounded by bushes, and on one side, a large wall that she suspected to belong to a building. She also happened to be dressed in her winter school uniform, which was a significant clue as to why she was here.

It took Sakura a few more seconds to recall her morning and what exactly she' done prior to this moment, and it took her a few more to realize she was sitting in her secret place on the school grounds, in the middle of December. At first, Sakura thought nothing of it. After all, she heard no noise around her, so she couldn't have been sleeping for very long, right? Despite her previous deduction, however, Sakura somehow found it odd that the sun's position in the sky had changed so drastically since the time when she'd fallen asleep. Out of curiosity, Sakura spared a glance at her watch, which had been a birthday present from her brother, seeing as the one Yukito had given her so long ago had been lost through all the turmoil of the past life. 'To make sure the kaijuu won't be late anymore' he said. Recalling that comment always made Sakura's brows knit in slight annoyance. Her brother would most likely never change, and even though she was glad he'd always be there for her, she still destested that silly sister-complex of his.

When she saw what time it was, however, her annoyed expression melted into one of astonishment and almost horror: it wasn't 8:00 like she'd originally thought; it was 11:35, meaning she'd slept until a half-hour away from lunch. And even though Sakura usually praised herself in restraining from cursing openly and unnecessarily, in this particular insistance, she couldn't help but let out a string of rather colorful words under her breath. After all, it most certainly wasn't everyday that Kinomoto Sakura, portrayed as the most innocent and well-mannered girl in the entire school, managed to pull off skipping class, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally. Naturally, since she'd woken from her little 'nap' oh-so-conviniently, she couldn't possibly continue to lay here until the last hours of school. It would serve no purpose, and it might even be a rather idiotic idea: though she believed herself to be the only person aware of this secret little place, she wasn't entirely sure. It wasn't as if anyone kept tabs on these kinds of things, so she couldn't be certain that someone wasn't going to come around and catch her hiding in the bushes. That could only lead to something disastrous, and she wanted to avoid such a thing at all costs.

However, if she were to leave here, and decide to go to class, she couldn't just waltz into the room and excuse herself for unintentionally missing at least four classes without having to provide an extremely well thought out explanation. Provided the teacher would even be inclined to listen to her rambling. And so, in obvious dismay, Sakura concluded that the only way she could possibly get away with her mistake, was to only show up at lunch time: which convieniently happened to create a big enough fuss on the school grounds that she could pretend to have arrived from the school gates, and meet up with her friends if she felt like it. If she didn't, she wouldn't have all that much difficulty in avoiding them, as she could disappear into the crowd of students and be done with them. Despite the fact that Sakura loved her friends very dearly, she appreciated it when she could avoid having to give them lengthly explanations: Tomoyo especially would be on her case the entire day, asking her which Clow Card had dared attack her. This made Sakura sigh, as she detested worrying her friends almost as much as having to lie to them. Unfortunately, she'd had more than enough experience in the art of telling lies to those she loved, whether it be to protect them, or to conceal the truth from them so as to preserve their sanity. Magic, in all its wonderous glory, wasn't something to be taken lightly, under any circumstances. Letting one's guard done could cost them their life if they weren't careful enough.

Suddenly, the bell rang loudly across the school grounds, pulling Sakura from her musings. She spared a glance at her watch once more, and was surprised to see that her thoughts had led her to wasting another half-hour. She frowned, obviously anything but pleased. She truly didn't want to face her friends today, nor did she want to face anyone, come to think of it. She wanted to leave school and go somewhere to clear her thoughts that had been in a disarray for far too long now. Sakura might have been one of the most cheerful people on the planet, regardless of her radiant smiles, there was always a breaking point, no matter who the individual was. And, even though it had been occupying her thoughts for the past half-hour apparently; suddenly Sakura didn't seem to care about the consequences of not being in class. Suddenly, for the first time in her life, Sakura couldn't bring herself to care about what anybody else thought, what anybody else said. For the first, and most likelly the last time in her entire life, Kinomoto Sakura just wanted to leave all her problems, all her emotional stress, all her pain and weariness behind. In that one moment, Kinomoto Sakura wished nothing more than to return to being a normal Japanese high school girl, with only her studies and friends to worry about. And right then and there, Kinomoto Sakura picked herself up off the ground, taking her school bag with her, and ran for all she was worth. She ran past the few thrid year students that were already filing out of the building, straight for the school gates, as if the last of her sanity depended on her escape from within these walls.

Kinomoto Sakura ran, ran, and ran, away from all that defined her life and all that would forever define it. Never did she stop running, never did she look where she was going: never had she so desperately wanted to escape from the magic and unique power that she loved and so despised at the same time.

††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††

To say that Li Syaoran was surprised at this point would be considered an exceptionally big understatement. So many different feelings could be used to define what it was he was experiencing. If he'd truly had to give it a name, he'd have said it to be something lodged somewhere on the fine line between worry and panic. However, Li Syaoran, the hier to one of the last and most powerful clans of China, was not an individual prone to panicking, regardless of the situation. Years and years of extensive training had taught him that panic could only lead to defeat, for it clouded one's judgement during a fight. Naturally, the same thing applied here.

Of course, as usual, he thought, barely containing a scoff at the irony, the center of his worries was none other than Kinomoto Sakura herself, who hadn't appeared even once throughout the entire day. Not that such a thing in itself was troubling: from he'd gathered from Tomoyo herself, as well as his other 'friends', namely, Mihara Chiharu, Sasaki Rika, Yamazaki Takashi, and Yanagizawa Naoko, Sakura was still recovering from an injury he hadn't quite understood the nature of, and it was highly possible that she could have remained at home to continue recovering, instead of coming to class. When Tomoyo had reassured him of it, he'd felt slightly better. The many years of friendship he'd shared with the lavendar-eyes girl told him he could trust her entirely, especially when it came to Sakura, whom she'd known long before he'd had anything to with her.

Though he'd been disappointed, he'd still managed to enjoy Tomoyo's presence, considering she _was_ a part of his tight circle of friends. Besides that, he rather liked Tomoyo, and was glad to finally be able to talk with someone who remembered the same past as he'd been reminding himself of for the past eight months. The same past that still sent shivers down his spine as he recalled the agony of the time the four of them had spent together, surrounded by demons all of the time, never knowing if they'd live to see the blood red sun rise above the horizon again. It also helped immensely to have someone explain to him the full extent of what their spell had done to the Clow Cards. This information however, had the power to send great chills down his back, as he heard the chronicles of Sakura's battles against the rabid cards that were apparently controled by some sort of demonic entity that made them prone to violence and gave them a surreal thrist for blood. It intrigued him as well as worried him.

And so, it was in the state of mind that anything could happen to them at any given time, that he set off to Sakura's house, accompanied by Tomoyo herself, who was all ready and prepared to mockingly scold Sakura for her absence in class that day. A great sense of nostalgia swept over him as he and Tomoyo waited on the Kinomoto household's doorstep, while Tomoyo swiftly rapped at the door with her nimble fingers. Syaoran couldn't even begin to count how many time he'd done the same exact thing during the alternate past, standing here, silently praying to any god in existance that the one to open the door would Sakura herself, and not her horrendous brother, Toya.

Thinking of Toya brought him crashing back down to reality, and on reflex, his head shot up, his dark chocolate eyes wide in realization. He remained this way for a few seconds more, before calming himself down, chiding himself for reacting in fear to something so irrationally. Toya didn't even know who he was! Maybe it was Syaoran's only chance to start off on the right foot with his self-proclaimed future brother-in-law. Apparently, his sudden jump of surprise hadn't escape Tomoyo's observant gaze, and he found his friend staring at him in slight worry, the silent question in her expression coaxing him to explain himself. He turned to look at her seriously before answering swiflty,

"It's nothing Daidoji-san, just remembering some nasty things... _very _nasty..." he said, a mock grimace adorning his face, so as to prove to her that he was all right.

Tomoyo chuckled, obviously understanding what Syaoran's worried had been focused on. Apparently, Kinomoto Toya had a greater effect on him than he'd let them in on.

"Now then Syaoran-kun, I thought we'd already been through all the honorifics, and the what-not. Just because we are no longer going to die together, it doesn't mean we must return to calling ourselves by our last names. How many time must I tell you it's Tomoyo!" she mock scolded him.

Syaoran's hand flew behind his neck, as he sheepishly nodded in agreement, waving his other hand as if to dismiss his mistake as something trivial,

"Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten Tomoyo-san..."

Naturally, it was right about then that the door chose to swing open, revealing Kinomoto Toya in all his glory, looking down at them with a slightly bored expression. His expression turned to one of surprise when he layed eyes on Syaoran, who was trying with all his mind not throw the man a nasty comment, as he'd been acustomed to ever since he'd known the older Kinomoto. Toya's eyebrows raised in suspision, as he turned to face Tomoyo.

"I think we need to clarify two things: Daidoji-san, just who is that guy overthere? And..."

He was abruptly cut off by Tomoyo, as she smiled and diligently outstreched her arm to point at Syaoran, whose gaze kept passing from Tomoyo to Toya, not entirely sure who was more important in terms of keeping his eyes on them.

"Toya-san, this is Li Syaoran, one of my long lost best friends, whose only just tranferred to Tomoeda from Hong Kong!" The way she introduced him only served to make the Chinese boy uneasy.

'It's obvious he's not going to buy that!' he exclaimed mentally.

Toya himself seemed rather septic as to the truth of this declaration. It just didn't seem to sit right with him at all.

"That's all very nice Daidoji-san. However that still doesn't explain why you've brought him here..." Tomoyo was quick to reply,

"Why, it's to introduce him to Sakura-chan! She stayed home all day, so she couldn't have met him at school. Can I bring him up to see her?"

At this, Toya's eyes widened in what seemed to be surprise, before his gaze darkened considerably. In those few scarce moments, Syaoran truly believed his last moments had arrived, and ironically found himself wondering in what way Toya would dispose of him. It wasn't until Toya spoke that Syaoran's blood went cold, as he'd been expecting anything, anything at all. Anything but what followed:

"Sakura isn't here. She hasn't been since she left early this morning for school..."

††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††

Sakura didn't know how she'd ended up here, of all places, but she was rather obliged to accept that fact, as of right then. How on earth she'd managed to run off, and find herself staring at an open field, surrounded by a great mass of trees was entirely beyond her. She'd never even set foot in the place, and yet here she was, standing there, tired beyond belief, mentally slapping herself at her own idiocy. Why had she taken off like that? It was anything but what she was supposed to be, it defied her personality entirely, and it made her feel extensively silly. She could almost _hear _the fates mocking her, their laughter carried on the wind that billowed about her, causing her hair and skirt to dance gently in the passing breeze.

Sakura was aware that it was her own fault that she'd run off: a split-second decision as some would say, and despite her annoyance at having succumed to her own despressive thoughts, there was some sort of nagging feeling in the back of her mind that was making Sakura turn back on her first impression. Perhaps there _was _a reason for her presence here after all. She'd only just picked up on it since she'd spent the last twenty minutes of her time sulking, and the 3 hours prior to that she'd spent walking about aimlessly, until she'd broke into a run again to end up in the small clearing. There was a hostile presence in the clearing, or at least within its perimeter, and the more time went by, the more said presence was seemingly manifesting itself, notifying Sakura that it wasn't an instinct kind of feeling that just any human could have noticed. No, it was a presence marked heavily by some sort of magical signature, and it was just truly that notion that made Sakura's blood run cold in realization.

"Clow... card..." she whispered hoarsely, her emerald colored eyes widening as she immediately took on a battle stance. If her past experiences with such things had taught her anything, it was that one must always be prepared and on guard in regard to anything that seemed the least bit suspicious. And it so happened to be that the presence in question was far more than suspicious. It was almost literally attacking her senses!

And despite the Clow Card's very core being made entirely of magic and spells, normally unknown to the natural balance of the world, it seemed as if even nature was beginning to understand that something was dreadfully wrong within Sakura's clearing. The mild breeze that had been blowing up until then suddenly ceased all together, leaving the young woman to listen all the more clearly to what nature was telling her: the birds, if there had been any, had all disappeared, giving way to an entirely unnatural silence, so eerie and abnormal that it sent a violent chill down Sakura's back, leaving behind an eruption of cold sweat in its wake. It was what some would qualify as 'the calm before the storm'. And knowing that only managed to frighten Sakura even more than she already was; after all, it was common knowledge that the calmer the period of silence was, the more dangerous the attack would turn out to be. And the heavy silence weighing over her, all though she almost refused to admit it, oozed the very essence of violence, blood, and perhaps even death if one could pull it to such an extreme.

Sakura fumbuled with her school shirt that she dug through, desperately trying to grasp at her key pendant that was her only means of defense against anything that decided to take action upon its muderous thoughts. Sakura thought that if she succesfully managed to activate her staff, she would be able to fend off the card, which ever it was, and be gone with the oppresive feeling that had been hanging over her throughout the entire day.

However, Kinomoto Sakura, who was normally blessed with the most extensive amount of luck an individual could hope for, did not succed in summoning said luck at this occasion, as the moment her moist right hand grabbed the key, clutching the small pendant between her trembling fingers, Kinomoto Sakura's world was sent into a confusing, frightening, and most unexpectedly painful blur of color, light and sound. She didn't distinctly know when it had begun, nor how long it truly lasted, despite her feeling as if an eternity had tumbled past her in what was most likely mere seconds. All she was extensively aware of was the sudden disappearance of her key pendant, which had abruptly flown from her trembling right hand as she'd been sent flying across the open clearing in a most brutal fashion, only to land unceremonisely in a heap, a good 100 feet from where she'd been standing mere moments ago. That, and the almost blinding pain that shot through her left arm that seemed to lie at an odd angle, warm, crimson blood seeping through her blazer, tainting the light blue cloth a deep red that seemingly spread quicker than a wild fire.

Sakura gasped, her normally sharp emerald eyes glossed over, her pupils dilated as she attempted to regain her composture despite the pain that shot through her arm at every heart beat. With a great intake of breath, she managed to sit up with the help of her good arm, upon which she leaned heavily, so as to take in the nature of her attacker. Her pained eyes searched the clearing for the card that had attacked her with a violence not many before it had displayed, though she couldn't see anything within her immediate surroundings that could be associated with a card. Sakura then pushed on her right arm with all the strength she had left, raising herself from the ground, and onto unsteady feet. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a thought tainted with insightful irony made her recall her previous injuries due to a rabid Clow Card, and how it had successfully manipulated her into a painful memorial of a past she'd rather not have to recall in detail. If one card had done so, what could possibly stop this one from attempting a similar approach? Perhaps it would attack her indirectly, never allowing its identity to be revealed unless pressed to do so with a magical attack from another card that had already been captured by Sakura. A magical attack she couldn't prefrom with her key pendant that lay somewhere on the ground between where she'd been standing moments before, and where she stood weakly now.

However, her train of thought was thrown to oblivion when Sakura heard a gutural roar erupt from behind her, that sent a violent chill down her spine; a roar only a blood-thirsty beast could emit in its need to feed upon living flesh. She whipped around as best she could, what with her unsteady legs partly giving way beneath her, and almost fell back down in shock and relative fear when she found herself facing a raging beast made entirely of lightning, its fangs bared as it prepared to attack her once again.

It was then that Sakura at long last layed eyes upon the omnious strom clouds gathering about Tomoeda, lightning flashing dangerously overhead as the first clap of thunder boomed, shattering the unbearable silence at last with its great power. Sakura backed away one step, as she frantically tried to find her key pendant among the blades of grass, all the while cursing her luck for landing herself with the Thunder card in a place no one knew she was, or even had the slightest clue about, she was sure of. Perhaps it was best that no one would venture here, considering their low chances of survival against a monstrous beast such as Thunder. Even she herself was starting to wonder justhow high her own chances of survival were up against the mighty beast, what with her sudden lack of a magical catalyst. Somehow, whatever conclusion her mind had come to didn't reassure her in the slightest. It induced quite the opposite effect really.

A deep, ferocious snarl ripped her from her musings, as she snapped her sharpened gaze back towards the thunder beast, now lowered on its forelegs, hind leg mucles taunt and prepared for physical effort, its glowing eyes narrowing in on her lithe form with a viciousness Sakura had hardly ever seen on anything alive, the last example to date being the blood thirsty demons from the alternate past. There was no other way to describe the creature's stance: it was preparing itself to attack its prey, which could be nothing other than Sakura herself, considering she was the only living, breathing individual within quite a large perimeter, or so she suspected. And that was all the warning she got before the beast pounced into action. Thunder was upon her in mere seconds: even some of the world's most trained individuals wouldn't have had the time to react accordingly. Sakura only barely managed to get her upper body out of range before the card was sinking its long, electrfied claws into her creamy white thighs, drenching what should have been perfect porcelain skin in a river of crimson that flowed in never-ending cascades down to the parched and yellowed grass of the open field.

The pain Sakura felt shoot through her entire lower body was undescribable, as it was far too intense for words of any sort. The pain of torn and broken skin burned her beyond belief, and the electricity that now coarsed through her entire body spread like liquid fire, intensifying every sensation until she felt as if something within her was going to burst from the onslaught. In one flow of overwhelming pain, something much like a dam broke on the inside, and Sakura let out a horrifying scream of pain, her voice raw from pain and unshed tears that were spilling down her quickly paling cheeks. Even her magic, though ever-so well trained it was, burst into existance around her, expressing her distress in ways that only magic could, in an intensity rivaling the actual pain she felt. Had Sakura been concious of her release of magical energy, she'd have cursed at her lack of control over something so essential in her life, considering the amount of time she'd spent learning how to conceal any and all form of magical presence that could emanate from her soul. Now, in the light of the inhuman pain she experienced at the hands of something so overwhelmingly powerful, she couldn't bring herself to care, let alone notice in her current state of delirium. She only hoped and prayed for it to stop as her body reacted on instinct, trying to pull itself away from the source of all her pain.

Sakura, in a desperate attempt to escape the unbearable pain, resorted to yanking her lower body away from the beast's sharp claws, tearing the dangerous objects down her legs in the process. As more pain flooded her senses, she finally managed to pull away, leaning on her only available limb left, as some flitting thought at the edge of her mind told her that the beast wouldn't take long to retaliate. Panting, taking in gulp after gulp of air in an attempt to calm herself a bit, she turned her head to the side, if only for an instant. It was then that her trained eyes caught sight of something shiny and small left lying upon the dry grass, only a arms length away from her. Without giving it a seconde thought she reached for it and grabbed it, pulling it her face to examine it in closer detail. It didn't her very long befroe she relized that it was, in fact, her key pendant that would undoubtedly save her from certain death. She quickly summoned the remanants of her strength and choked out,

"Key that holds the powers of the dark, reveal your true form before me! I, Sakura, command you under our contract! Release!"

Clow's richly decorated magical emblem appeared beneath her, as her key slowly began to morph into her traditional bird-headed staff that had become a constant companion over the years. In the corner of her eye, she thought she'd seen the Thunder card watch her warily, not certain of what to do with this new development. It apparently decided it was best to circle its prey in search of the correct opportunity. Sakura would have scoffed at the idiocy of the entire thing had she not been in such pain. She would have also noticed that her magical energy was spilling incoherently in all different directions, completely untamed and wild in its power and desperateness. However, Sakura failed to notice this, and stubbornly tried to pull herself to her feet with the help of her staff, failing spectcularly as her legs all too simply refused to function.

'Kami-sama, help me...' she plead as the beast made to pounce upon her once again.

For as long as Li Syaoran could remember, there were rarely times where he'd felt his blood run cold in fear or anticipation, or even in shock. The first instance where such a thing had occured had been then day Li Yelan, his mother, had solemnly announced to all her children that their father would not be returning to them ever again. Though he'd been fairly young at the time, Syaoran was certain he'd felt that chilling sensation at that particular moment, in shock and disbelief towards his mother's words. It was an entirely unconceivable idea to think that his father was dead, and as the young child he'd been, he'd denied the truth until the day he was dragged to his father' funeral, where the reality of the situation had crashed down upon him like cold rain.

The second instance had been shortly before his original departure for Japan, when he'd learned from his tearful aunt that Meiling, his dearly annoying cousin, had run off and disappeared for three days straight, and was still unfound by the best magicians in the clan, his mother included. That had iced him completely, as normally, when one's vital presence wasn't sensed, it either meant it was being magically concealed, which obviously couldn't be the case for Meiling, or it meant that the individual in question was dead. For the next hour proceeding Meiling's whereabouts discovery, Syaoran had truly feared for his cousin's life: no matter how deeply he despised her obnoxiuosness, he certainly didn't want her to die, and had felt his heart nearly stop when he heard she'd been found at last.

All other instances where such a thing had occured where courtesy of one Kinomoto Sakura, who never failed to worry Syaoran when she did the most unconceivable things: throwing herself in front of a civilian to protect him from an oncoming demon was just one of the ways she'd managed to ice his blood and make his heart skip a beat. The girl, as he'd learned over the span of time he'd lived by her side, was somehow prone to attracting any and all dangerous entities and situations, and delt with them in an almost detached way sometimes, complete uncaring about her life and the peril it was in. Which, naturally, left Syaoran to deal with the results of her carelessness under these circumstances. Luckily enough, such behavior was dropped when the demons had started to drive the magicians into their last ressources, and thus left each individual striving for their own survival amongst the others, inevitably leading them to their downfall. That, however, did not change the fact that Kinomoto Sakura was 'one heck of crazy woman', as quoted by Syaoran himself in a moment of desperation before such unbelievable recklessness.

However, the situation that was presented before him at the moment exceeded by far anything he'd ever lived through before. The moment Toya had let loose those words stating what was most likely Syaoran's worst nightmare at this point, everything had stopped. His heart, he could have sworn it, had skipped several beats and his breathing was becoming a very difficult thing to keep under relative control. It seemed as if all exterior influence had ceased entirely, to give way to only one train of thought that kept scaring him more and more as each second passed: Sakura wasn't at home, and hadn't been all day. Sakura hadn't been at school at any given point during the day either. Which meant only one thing at this point: she was in danger, or at the very least something was direly wrong, as the Sakura he knew would never depart without at least notifying one person, just to let them know where she was. Tomoyo at the very least would have known something, even to a somewhat vague degree. But here he was, discovering that Sakura was indeed gone, and no one had the slightest information in regards to her current location. And being who he was, Li Syaoran just could not, and most certainly _would _not accept that.

He almost jumped when he heard Tomoyo's voice break through the heavy silence that had ensued Toya's comment: a silence that Syaoran hadn't even taken note of throughout his deep thinking. The normally confident girl, he had to admit, was rather good at keeping her cool in these sorts of situations, and was doing remarkably well in controling her voice so as to give Toya no reason to suspect that anything was immenently wrong.

"We know that of course Toya-san! I was only joking, naturally. I've actually come to pick up Sakura-chan's little plush bear that's up in her room. You know, the one with the wings on it? We're going to meet up with her at the park with Chiharu-chan and the others!"

Toya frowned slightly. It was rather blatantly obvious that he wasn't buying it at all; and he was correct in assuming that Tomoyo was lying, considering how oppressing the silence prior to her declaration had been, and how she had introduced Syaoran in such a convincing way. Toya eyed the both of them warily before asking,

"That still doesn't explain why she didn't come and fetch the bear herself instead of sending her best friend and a guy she's barely even met to her house in her place."

As always, Toya was one step ahead of everyone else, especially when it concerned his only sister. Syaoran knew from experience that when treating with the subject of his little sister, Toya never joked about anything regarding her safety. Ever. And that was what made him a good brother, and an unbelievably tedious hassle to deal with at the same time; or at least in their case. As such, it was only normal for Syaoran to start becoming nervous when the all-knowing Tomoyo had suddenly run out of words to say in their defense. Perhaps in what was a desperate attempt to keep their entire scenario intact, Syaoran stepped up before Tomoyo and imposed himself to the older Kinomoto's view before speaking, looking the other boy straight in the eye,

"I may be incorrect in assuming this, seeing as I've only just recently met Kinomoto-san, but I believe she wanted to come here herself and get the stuffed animal, but myself and Tomoyo-san convinced her not to, as she had other things to attend to with Mihara-san and Sasaki-san, and the two of us wanted to catch up a bit, as we haven't seen each other in a rather long time. Thus, we ended up coming to get what Kinomoto-san wanted."

Tomoyo looked at her friend in almost complete disbelief, astounded that he managed to spew such a coherent and long phrase that might just be what they needed to convince Toya that they were telling the 'truth'. The glare Syaoran received from Toya rivaled the ones he'd gotten everytime he'd come to pick Sakura up for one of their many and numerous dates, in every aspect possible.

'Apparently, we just weren't meant to get along...' he thought wirely.

Toya gave a great sigh before turning to Tomoyo, as if asking verfication of this version of the so-called story. A curt and simple nod from the ebony haired girl sufficed to Toya, and even if he was still visibly wary, he moved aside to let them pass.

"You go and get the plush, and then you leave. Understood Daidoji-san?" Tomoyo nodded and hurried to Sakura's room, not even bothering to take off her shoes in the entryway. Not that Toya made any particular notice of it anyway, as he probably wanted to rid of them as quick as was possible. He switched his gaze back to Syaoran, and his expression visibly darkened the moment he laid eyes on the Chinese boy.

"You, on the other hand, won't take one more step into my house as long as I live, and you most certainly _won't _go anywhere near my sister's room. Understood punk?"

Syaoran nodded, biting his lip in both irratation and impatience, as the more time they took dilly-dallying here, the more time was lost in searching for Sakura's whereabouts. If only Toya had the slightest clue of how many times he'd crossed the threshold of his dearest sister's room; he'd without a doubt have a fit if he knew. At least he was now certain of it: he and Kinomoto Toya were destined to fight over everything and nothing, the perfect enemies as some would say. Even when he wasn't officiallt courting his sister, he still glared at him as if he'd just committed the worst of crimes. Being the hot tempered young man he was, he clamped down even harder on his bottom lip, preventing him from lashing out at the elder boy with a particularly poisonous comment.

However, the next moment, he completely forgot about Toya and their apparently destined conflict, registering something on an entirely different level. On a magical level, that is. And it scared him more than anything else, as it was above all else, white hot magical energy that was assaulting his senses, lashing out at his mind as if letting out a distinctive, desperate cry for help. The violence demonstrated by the steady flow of energy left his mind reeling in pain and shock, feeling the assault the same as if he'd just been punctured in the head by a knife still hot from its forging process.

Despite these numerous sensations of physical pain, what sent him into a heart-stopping shock that for one of the very few times in his life made his blood run terrifyingly cold, didn't have anything to do with him. It had, in fact, everything to do with the horrifying realization that dawned upon him when he was hit with some sort of familiarity as opposed to the assaulting sensation that seemed to dominate his senses only moments earlier. He knew the person who's energy this was, and at first almost thought he was in error: after all, he knew all too well that the person in question had learned with a frightening dedication how to conceal magical energy from prying eyes, or rather in this case, minds. But there was absolutely no way he could have been wrong, no way he could have mistaken it for _her _presence in any way possible. There was no doubt withen his mind that Kinomoto Sakura was calling out to him, and if not, to _someone _for help, and that could only mean one, terribly thing: she was in immenent danger. And there was no way that Li Syaoran was just going to sit by and watch it happen without at least trying to save her.

Had he cared enough to pay closer attention, he'd have seen Toya giving him a look of confusion before he himself succumbed to some sort of shock that was rarely displayed by the elder Kinomoto. There wasn't any room for doubt: Toya knew that something was happening, and most likely knew it had to do with his sister. Whether or not he knew that Syaoran was involved was yet a mystery, of course.

The few seconds that followed, he saw Tomoyo almost trip herself down the stairs in her rush to leave the house and get out of earshot of potentially influencial people. Namely, Toya, as he was the only one present. That in itself was another clue that proved to Syaoran that something was happening, and whatever it was, it was big enough to get Tomoyo riled up. Or at least, enough to get the little plushed animal that she was hugging in her arms riled up. She suddenly pulled herself to a complete halt when she spotted Toya once more, and proceeded to bow deeply before the elder Kinomoto, almost hastily whispering,

"Thank you for allowing me into your home Toya-san! It's always a pleasure to see you, even if I'm afraid we need to leave as soon as possible! I do hope you'll have a pleasant afternoon!"

No other words were spoken as she quite literally dragged the still shell-shocked Chinese boy away from the door step of the Kinomoto residence, practically running if it weren't from the heavy weight of the young man she was dragging right behind her. Tomoyo only stopped when she was certain of being a fair distance away from the Kinomoto household, preserving them from being hunted down by Toya for explanations on their very odd and sudden change in behavior. The young woman puffed and heaved, obviously out of breath from her dire sprint away from where they'd just come, her head bowed as she tried to take in more air than was even possible, while her long and curly ebony locks tumbled haphazardly around her face, obscuring her troubled eyes from view. Syaoran was certain of it: something had happened to Sakura, and it he didn't like it in the least bit. Not at all.

However, before he could speak and ask Tomoyo whatever it was she'd been told, the small yellow plush bear in her arms began to squirm about, demanding to be released in a very obviously desperate action of urgency. Tomoyo complied immediately, and in a split second the plush was floating in the air, small white wings spread out as it stationed itself at Tomoyo's eye level, waiting for her lift her head. She straightened her posture just as Keroberos began to let loose a string of words said with such urgency and worry that some weren't even understandable.

"Tomoyo, this is bad! Very bad! Sakura's in deep trouble! I felt her magical energy just call out like that when I _know _she has complete control over it, and all of a sudden, it just burnt out! Just like that! It's almost as if it were a simple candle! We've got to go and help her..."

Kero ceased his rant as Tomoyo lifted a finger to her lips to indicate that he had to stay quiet. She then sighed, the smallest hint of a smile trailing along the edges of her mouth as she replied,

"I know Kero-chan, you've already told me that much. But I alone can't do much to help Sakura I'm afraid, since I have no way to search for her through magic..."

"It's all right Tomoyo, I'll help you find her, that why you've got me! Come one let's g-..." Kero was once again silenced by Tomoyo, who once again had the ghost ofa smile on her lips.

"I can't find her Kero-chan. But we both know someone who can..." At this, the small plush guardian scoffed.

"I really don't see anyone who could do anything, excepting that brat, but he's not here... wait Tomoyo, are you suggesting we fetch him from China!? We can't exactly do that, and that would take too much time anyway! That'd never work Tomoyo, we-..."

Tomoyo pointed behind her, to where Kero couldn't previously see, and said,

"I never said we would have to fetch him Kero-chan..." As if it were possible to describe the true extent of his surprise in this manner, Kero's eyes widened in shock as he stared into a long forgotten face that quite literally made his blood boil once he'd recovered from his initial surprise.

"Brat!? Is that really you!?" Syaoran almost could have laughed, had the situation not been so dire.

"What do you think, you stupid plush toy. Isn't it obvious? At least it's nice to see that some people don't change..." Kero lunged at the Chinese boy in fury, quickly recovering their natural behavior pattern. Old habits died hard, after all.

"Why you!! Just who do you think you're calling a plush toy!? And since when have you been here you brat! Do you have _any _idea how much Sakura misses you?"

At this, Syaoran bit back his particularly nasty come-back comment. How could he stoop so low as to start a useless arguement when Sakura's life was at stake? Had he forgotten how important she was to him, to everyone? Had he truly forgotten that his life was nothing without her? She could be suffering needlessly while he found nothing better to do then to start up a quarell with a stupid plush toy, no less.

"Exactly you stupid plushy. That's why I think we should be actually _doing something _to help her instead of yelling each other's ears off! Damned you, let's move it now! Tomoyo-san, follow behind us, we don't know what we're up against..."

Kero muttered something that strangely ressembled, 'Of course we know what we're up against... Clow Cards...', which resulted in Syaoran telling him to wisely 'shut up' before he did something about it. Whether the threat in itself worked, or whether it was the need to find his beloved mistress that took up all of his energy it wasn't certain, but Syaoran knew that at the very least, he was putting all of his strength into finding her still abandoned presence. He followed it blindly, leading Kero and Tomoyo into some previously unknown part of Tomoeda that bordered the small woods closely, running wherever his senses guided him, not caring if the passersby looked at him strangely, wondering why on earth a young man was running down the street looking so distressed, followed closely by a girl of roughly the same age as he, clutching a plush bear as if her life depended on it. Li Syaoran just couldn't bring himself to care about anything other than Kinomoto Sakura, and the fact that every second that ticked by was one more second towards her possible death...

If this was what dying truly felt like, then Kinomoto Sakura wanted nothing more than for it to stop. The pain was unbearble, inhuman even, to the point where even her mind could not function properly under the amount of pain that she felt. It surrounded her, blinded her, and all too simply consumed her, dragging her ever closer to the darkness that threatened to overtake her and sap the very last bits of her strength. However, it was misuderstanding her current state of mind to assume that she would just give up and let herself be entirely submerged by the darkness that seemed ever-so appealing to her right now, ever-so inviting, whispering to her that all the pain would stop, if only she would give in...

No, Kinomoto Sakura knew all too well what would happen should she choose to succumb to the darkness. She knew that the Thunder card would unleach its unimaginable fury against the world, with no one there to stop it, restrain it, to capture it and tame the wild beast from the tempest skies. She knew that never again would she awaken, and that never again she would see the one person that mattered the most to her in the world. If only for that, she had to keep trying, to keep enduring, to keep winning against the entites that controled her beloved cards so that she may one day fulfill what could be considered her strongest desire. She had to see Li Syaoran again, no matter the cost, no matter the sacrfices that were to be made as a counterpart.

Sakura slammed her staff upright into the ground with all the strength she could muster, while she tried everything within her power to stand up again. Thunder wasn't looking in her direction, believeing it had dealt with her suffisently for the time being, while it seemed engrossed by the storm clouds looming overhead, promising to unleash a particularly strong storm. Surprisingly, she somehow managed to bring herself to her feet, all the while trying to restrain from yelling out in pain, as it literally burned within her like a hellfire, spreading from her legs, to her arm, and to her newly wounded side that seemed to have quite the gash in it from a recent attack against the beast. Instead, she released a loud hiss that instantly brought the wild beast to attention. It turned to look at her, almost narrowing its eyes as if it were annoyed that she was still alive and conscious. As if respond to her impressions, the iimposing beast gave a growl that warned of another brutal attack to come. Sakura knew that she wouldn't be able to dodge it. There was no way she was in any condition to fight anything in the state she was in. She knew that all she had to do was pull the Shadow card out and summon it to finish it once and for all, however, Thunder had been quick about scattering her precious cards to the four corners of the field, rendering Sakura utterly defenseless, unless she could muster the strength to run across the field in a frenzy in hopes of meeting with the card she wanted, assuming that Tunder would allow her to reach her destination.

Never before had Sakura felt so helpless, so utterly useless, and so completely disgusted with magic. Although she loved her cards dearly, and even if magic was what had brought her and Syaoran together, she couldn't help but feel angry at it all, feel entirely sick at the thought of dying at the hands of some sort of magical entity that would most likely deal with her like it dealt with a mere scrap of paper in its way on a road far bigger, leading to ultimate chaos and destruction. How undeniably ironic, that it should concern one of the world's most poweful magicians, who in normal conditions, would have dealt with the beast in a matter of seconds.

Another low growl brought Sakura back to attention, as Thunder began circling her, waiting for the perfect oppurtunity to attack and finish her off in a less-than-graceful way. At this point it was unavoidable. Though she couldn't help but think it was by far the most ironic way to die. Sakura snapped her eyes shut in fear as Thunder lunged at her with a fury unlike any other beast, awaiting the pain that would sear through her once again...

"Imperial god of thunder, I summon you! Raitei shourai!" Light flashed a brilliant white against Sakura's closed eyelids as she felt her breath catch in her throat at the sound of the incantation, and more importantly, at the sound of _his _voice...

Dare she believe it to be him? Dare she believe that it was truly him that had come to save her from her cruel fate? Opening her eyes while she struggled to turn around, Sakura's eyes widened when she saw three very familiar people standing half-way across the field from her. Tomoyo was there, her face livid and pale white, while she seemed to be muttering something under her breath, obviously concerning the state her best friend was in. Kero was there as well, floating beside Tomoyo, still shocked at the sight of his beloved mistress all tattered and torn. And then, there was Li Syaoran, who stood there in all his glory, his chocolate eyes burning with the flame of his strength, burning with anger at the sight of his beloved so hurt and so in pain. His aura, no, his entire being reeked with the vengenance that he needed to obtain in tribution to what she'd endured.

Sakura couldn't believe it. It was impossible, and yet she knew deep down that it couldn't be anything else, it just couldn't, unless her mind had decided that it too was too tired to function correctly. In the space of one blissfull moment, an explosion of different emotions burst into life within her, as she stared wide-eyed at the one person that truly mattered to her above all else. Happiness, relief, anxiety, shock, apprehension, slight fear even that remained from the on-going encounter with the Clow Card burst within her, and surged her, throwing her mind overboard in the overwhelming sensations that took over her entire being all at once. And as much as she wanted to run over to him and leap into his arms, hugging him and leaning into him as he held her close, she knew that she couldn't, that her tattered body could endure no more than it already had without shutting itself down.

However, apparently, it already _had _endured far too much than it could possibly take, causing the last of her strength to disappear all at once, in one great wave of oblivion, as if it had been sucked away by some unknown force of nature. Her vision blurred as she felt her legs give way beneath her, her weight becoming far too much of a burden to withhold, and she let herself fall to the ground, resigned to the fact that she could not prevent it from happening, no matter the amount of will power she put into the task. Falling as if in slow motion, one second seemed like an eternity as she fell, at long last hitting the cold ground with a deafening thud, that resounded in the tense silence that had followed her friends' appearance. Her hearing, she supposed, was also beginning to tune out, as she heard a menacing growl coming from a seemingly far away place, although she knew full well that the beast was only a very short distance from her. What she did, however, hear clearly and distinctively was the half terrified yell that burst from half way across the field, echoing in the air as wildly tapping footsteps resounded, coming ever closer, as if the person was at a full speed run, which he probably was. Again, the yell of her name pierced the air like a bullet, cutting clean through the atmosphere of utmost danger,

"SAKURA!!"

When Li Syaoran watched as Kinomoto Sakura attempted to whirl around to look at them all, her eyes wide with shock at the very sight of him, he'd felt his heart beat painfully in his chest, unbelievably angered by the poor state she was in. He couldn't be entirely sure, but from his perspective, he saw the crimson patches running down her legs and deduced that she was injured on that level, and given the tear and indentical red color of her arm, he knew that she was injured there as well. Any other injuries weren't noticable enough to be seen from such a distance. He'd arrived in time to stop the beast from attacking her again, and had summoned his magic without truly thinking about it. He could only suppose it was his instinct urging him to protect his most precious person from anymore harm.

But when he saw Sakura fall backwards, collapsing from what was all too obviously her injuries, his heart stopped beating all together, fear claiming him and momentarily paralyzing him as he watched his loved one fall in defeat before a raging beast of thunder and lightining that uttered a vicious snarl as he saw her move, prepared to pounce on her helpless form and finish her off once and for all. Such a revolting thought burst him back to life, as he yelled her name, running off towards her as though his life depended on it. Which it most certainly did, as Sakura was nothing more or less than his reason for living, that much he'd managed to establish throughout his 8 month exile in Hong Kong with his family. Behind him, he faintly heard running footsteps, and concluded that Tomoyo had decided to follow after him as he sprinted towards Sakura, bent in saving her life as he'd done so many times before. He was prepared to die for her: he'd already done it once, and he wouldn't hesitate to do it twice, if it could ensure her safety.

The Thunder, however, didn't seem to enjoy the sight of people running towards it at full speed, and accordingly pounced on Sakura with a newly found vengenance. Syaoran fumed and ground his teeth together as he once again summoned his magic, sending out the most powerful spell he could muster,

"Imperial god of thunder, I summon you! Raitei shourai!"

Lightining burst into life about him and shot at the beast, cutting at it like a double-edged sword. Naturally, as the beast was entirely mae of lightining, it didn't have a devastating effect on it, though it was suffisent enough to ward it off for a bit. It left Syaoran enough time to lunge at Sakura's motionless form on the ground, flinging himself atop her to sheild her from the beast's oncoming attack. All at once, a burning pain erupted in his back, spreading from the base of his neck to his waist, in one long line that he was certain was a deep gash. The fact that Sakura hadn't reacted in the least was what preoccupied him the most, above all else. His own injuries were nothing compared to what Sakura had endured all alone. He rolled off of her prone form, and once more, summoned his magic, however, this time reaching for a completely different spell,

"Divinity of the flames, I summon you! Cage of fire be formed!"

And it certainly was a strong cage of burning red flammes that erupted about the beast, causing it to back away in caution. Syaoran knew that he wouldn't be able to hold it back for very long, but it would hopefully give them enough time to find a way to capture it once and for all.

He immediately turned his attention to Sakura, carefully picking up her tattered and torn body, gently cradling her in his arms, pulling her as close as he dared to. He then looked to Tomoyo and Kero, who stood almost right next to him, not certain of what to do. His gaze then turned to his surroundings, where he lay eyes on a stray Clow Card amidst the dry grass blades. He could only assume that Sakura had dropped them in her frenzy to protect herself from the beast's attack, leaving her utterly defenseless against it, rendering her unable to capture it. He knew the only way to capture the cursed card was to use Shadow against it, like Sakura had done the first time they'd been confronted with this card. He however, refused to leave Sakura's side. She needed him, and he wasn't about to refuse her his needed presence by her side. As such, in desperation, he yelled out to the two remaining people present,

"Tomoyo-san, plush toy! Look for the Shadow card! We need to use it to capture Thunder it's the only way!" Kero was quick to retaliate as Tomoyo began to search frantically through the grass, as desperate as he to find the card that would end the waking nightmare,

"I know that brat! What do you think I'm doing!? You better watch over her!"

Syaoran didn't need to be told twice. His attention instantly returned to Sakura, who was breathing harshly while unconsciously clutching at his shirt. He knew she was trying her best to fight against unconsciousness that was most likely lurking and lingering, waiting to swoop down on her and take her away. He knew she needed rest, and above all else, treatment for her wounds that continued to spill crimson blood, which now dutifully stained his brand new school blazer with dark blotches of red. It pained him so to watch her suffer needlessly because of one be damned entity of magic that had managed to get her in a moment of inattention. It angered him that for the one time that he'd been close by, where he could have helped her, he'd been able to do nothing. Syaoran did his best to pull Sakura upright, all the while allowing her to lean heavily on him, so that he may at least be a form of support, for lack of anything else to do in the current situation. While she continued to breath labouriously, he put his head close to her's and whispered softly to her ear,

"Sakura? Can you hear me love...? Please say something..." Syaoran's plea was desperate, he knew it was. He needed her to answer him, or else he'd be unable to cooncentrate on anything until he was sure she would pull through.

He felt her hand clutch his shirt tighter, before whispering hoarsely, her words almost lost on the wind,

"I'm... all... right... Syaoran..." she trailed off, obviously unable to say much more in her condition. But it sufficed to relieve Syaoran to a certain extent. He pulled her closer, hugging her to his body while he bent down to gently kiss her forehead, so as to let her know that he'd heard her.

"Sakura? I'm sorry to ask this of you, now of all times... but you have to try and use the Shadow card... it's the only way to stop Thunder and capture it. I'll help you do it if you want to love..."

It didn't please Syaoran all that much when he knew that she had to use magic in such a ridiculous condition. He'd would have done it himself had been able to, however, in light of the fact that Sakura was the only person capable of using the cards at this point, and the only one capable of capturing them, as she was the appointed card captor, they had no choice in the matter. He'd help her through it all, no matter the cost. He'd sacrfice himself again and again for her, so long as he was guarenteed her safety. This time would be no exception. He then felt Sakura nod lightly, as she tried her best to heave her self to her knees. Needless to say, she failed at the task rather spectacularly. Syaoran just wouldn't have that, and so to prove his convictions, he grabbed Sakura 'round the waist and hoisted her upwards, until she was almost sitting upright, her back pressed against his chest so that she may have some form of support and comfort in her time of need.

In the split second that followed this action, three things of great importance occured almost simultaneously: Tomoyo had yelled out desperately,

"I've found it! I've got Shadow!"

Hearing this had slightly stunned Syaoran, as it had pulled him from his delicate and careful ministrations on behalf of Sakura, and as a result, his cage of fire had weakened ever-so slightly from his momentary drop in guard. Normally such a thing wouldn't have mattered much, as he had trained for months on end to perfect his abilities. However, the Thunder beast had been waiting for this oppurtunity to strike upon the barrier, and hadn't wasted anytime on attacking it in the split second. And thus, the beast freed itself from its prison, and charged straight for couple that had grated it's nerves for far too long already, its teeth bared and a vicious snarl erupting from the bottom of its throat. Syaoran knew full well that he didn't have time to pull off another spell to ward it off, he knew that it was too late for anything, excepting a slight turn of his body to prevent Sakura from further exposure to the mad beast's claws. He closed his eyes, waiting for the pain... and certainy received a claw full of it.

His eyes opened in shock and pain, as he saw that the beast's right paw had embedded its claws into his left arm, penetrating the flesh and scraping at the bone mercilessly. However, as he looked behind him to his left, he saw that the beast's left paw wasn't anywhere near his body. In fact, it was buried in Tomoyo's right forearm, which now bled profusely while she gasped in pain at the unwanted intrusion upon her body. Apparently, she'd tried to jump and protect them from harm's way, but hadn't been able to accomplish her feat completely, since she'd been too far away from the start. Syaoran found himself thinking ironically,

'How typical of Tomoyo-san... putting her life on the line for the sake of others that she loves...' He would have liked to think that it wasn't something very much unlike himself. He was, however, pulled from his musings violently, when the beast retracted its claws from his now bleeding arm, and he supposed, from Tomoyo's as well, since he'd heard her gasp of pain. The beast backed away, preparing for another attack, when Tomoyo shoved the Shadow card into Syaoran's unsuspecting hand. She looked to him frantically,

"Now, you have to use it, or this entire situation will end in a pool of blood! For Sakura's sake!" He nodded, and turned to Sakura, who seemed to be worse off than she'd been before. He saw that she was trying to raise herself as fast as she could, while he knew all to well that she would never be able to do so in her condition. He wasn't in any reall position to do anything either, what with his injured arm, but at the very least he was far better off than she.

"I know... I know... please give me the card Syaoran..." Her voice was steadier now than it had been when before, and she seemed to have taken up a bit of strength from whatever meager rest she'd managed to get from resting against him. She pulled her staff to her and struggled to keep it upright before her. As such, Syaoran took ahold of the staff with his hands, and even despite thet immense pain that coursed through his arm. He smiled to her softly when he said,

"We do this together Sakura. Don't think that's you're doing this alone..."

Sakura smiled back at him, content with his answer, as she threw the card above her and chanted,

"Become a chaining restraint against the enemy I now face! Shadow!"

Clow Reed's richly embedded magical emblem appeared beneath them, as the card activated itself, swooping overhead omniously before it shot down from above upon the beast of Thunder, like a divine punishment that struck down upon those who dared to hurt the mistress of the cards of Clow. Shadow intertwined itself with the beast before trapping it in a deadly embrace that seemed to choke it, breaking it off from its power and rendering it completely helpless at long last. Sakura and Syaoran wasted no time in spelling put the sealing incantation together, their voice blending as one amidst the silence of the field,

"Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!" Together, though much more due to Syaoran's help than anything else, they slammed the bird-headed staff down in the Thunder card's general direction, where it quickly seemed to melt and disolve into the small glowing rectangular form of the card, until the thunder beast was no more. Something black, like a wisp of smoke that thined in the air, escaped from the wavering form of the card, and emited a small sound which Syaoran was almost certain was scream of pain and hatred towards those who had successfully defeated it, before it disappeared into thin air. A sigh of relief escaped the Chinese boy's lips, before he felt a heavy weight collapse on top of him, finally admiting defeat after enduring harsh trials in the capturing of the card. Alarmed, he turned to Sakura's immoble form, that lay prone atop of him, eyes closed and completely unresponsive. He dropped the staff instantly as it returned to its key form, leaving it forgotten on the ground as he took ahold of Sakura, once again holding her close, checking for things such as abnormal breathing, trying to assure that she was all right. Kero interupted his frenzy when he nuzzled Sakura's neck lovingly, reassuring the Chinese boy,

"Don't worry brat, she's fine. She just fainted from overload. If you treat those injuries, she'll be as good as new in a few days time."

If it was Keroberos saying it, then Syaoran knew that he had nothing to worry about. However, it didn't stop him from watching over Sakura's form very carefully as he picked her up, and got onto his feet, wincing from the pain in his arm. He was certain that the injury would remain a nucance for at least a week before it would heal enough to render the arm useful again. Tomoyo herself got onto her own two feet, wincing as well while she clutched at her injured arm, checking over her friend, then sighing, before she looked up at Syaoran,

"If Sakura-chan is with you Syaoran-kun, then I don't have to worry myself too much. She's never any safer than with you, I know that from experience."

Syaoran looked at one of his few friends curiously, while smiling to himself at the comment. If Tomoyo was convinced of such a thing, then he must truly be going soft... But then again, he wasn't all that bothered by it if it concerned Sakura. He once again gently kissed her forehead, in a loving manner, before he set off in direction of the main city, raising a simple illusion spell, so as to conceal their injuries and Sakura's tattered form from the public eye. As such, to the people walking down Tomoeda's streets that day, it seemed as if two young people were walking down the street calmly, with nothing suspicious about them in the least. Excepting perhaps the strange young man who was carrying a sack of patatoes on his way home from school. How peculiar indeed...

It seemed as if she were floating in some sort of oblivion, darkness surrounding her, never letting go of her, trying to snatch away the last snippets of her mind, rapidly drawing her deeper into the desired and needed sleep she was about to get. Sakura knew that it wouldn't be long before she succumbed to complete unconsciousness, and couldn't help but be pleased that she would at long last be able to obtain rest, no matter the form it was presented in.

However, before she fell asleep, she couldn't help but smile at thought of the one who had come and saved her.

'Syaoran...' her mind whispered as she fell deeper into the darkness, and let herself be taken away at last. Her last thought was to him, and to the fact that she knew that when she would awake again, everything was truly going to be all right this time. Yes, everything was as it should be at last...

_**A/N: **_

_Ah, I wish I'd gone a little further in the chapter, but I felt like stopping it there since it seemed like a suitable ending in itself. My favorite parts were definitely the ones where I got to do a Syaoran POV, and the little Syaoran/Toya interaction._

_I've always thought that even though Toya says he dislikes Syaoran because of his____original bad behavior with Sakura, had Syaoran introduced himself otherwise, Toya still would have found a way to dislike Syaoran. As far as I'm concerned, I think that those two were just fated to be rivals of sorts, if only for Sakura's affection (or at least, that's most likely what Toya sees it as). I think 'Tsubasa RC' has testified that aspect well enough._

_I also like to think that Sakura, like every human being, isn't perfect and doesn't always follow her own philosophy that is 'everything is going to be alright'. Sakura, in my opinion, also has that part of darkness within her that every person tends to hide, and though Sakura conceals it far better than most people, it doesn't spare her from falling into darkness and being eaten away by her own demons. To me, Sakura isn't just a happy sugar-gushing girl with a head filled with air (pardon the comparison), she's also when she wants to be, a rather level headed and rational girl with the power to defy the world if only she has a cause to adhere to. Maybe I went over the top making her a wee bit cynical and overly serious, but one mustn't forget what she's been through in this story line. Once again, anyone who's read 'Tsubasa RC' knows just how much like that Sakura can be when pushed over the edge._

_Next chapter is going to deal with the Sword Card, and don't worry about it being a copy of the anime/manga, because I'm refraining from using Rika as the victim (even if it was rather tempting to use her and get her character developed a bit!)._

_As always, if anyone has any ideas on what they would like to happen in the next chapter, feel free to throw your ideas at me, they're a great source of inspiration!_

_And likewise, reviews are greatly appreciated, as they let me know what you think, and knowing what the readers think is the biggest reward for a writer such as myself!_


End file.
